Internet Archive

'1984' Do You Like Cookies?

 

What is a cookie? Well if you live in the USA it is a
biscuit, if you are in Britain it usually refers to a
chocolate chip biscuit. I don't know about you but I love
them :-)

 

But there is another kind of cookie in relation to the
Internet. This is a small file that can be stored on your
system (sometimes without you even knowing about it), that
can transfer information about you and your system to the
web site which placed it on your computer.

 

PANIC! Well don't worry too much just yet. If you have never
heard of cookies before, then you most definitely already
have them planted on your system. Using the Internet only
once will usually guarantee this.

 

So how and why? Sites that use cookie technology do so for
various reasons, but usually for marketing purposes. When
you visit a web site that uses this technology the site
makes a request to your Internet browser I.E, Netscape etc,
to ask if it will accept a cookie to be placed on your
system, and depending on the response the cookie will or
will not be placed.

 

This cookie information file will then gather basic
information about you, your computer, type, operating system,
web browser your name possibly your e-mail address this can
sometimes depend on what information you have submitted to
the web site which set the cookie. For instance, if you
completed an online form with your personal details then
these may be also stored.

 

More worrying though is the possibility of storing
information of the web pages you have viewed. This can then
be used to make up a profile of your personal tastes, so
that certain advertising could be marketed to you. The
cookie will then be read on your return to the web site that
set it.

 

So how can you choose which cookies to accept and which to
refuse?

 

Start with your browser window open and in IE5 go to 'Tools'
then 'Internet Options' click the 'Security' tab and on the
Internet Globe option click the 'Custom Level' button.
Scroll down until you see Cookies and from here you can
disable them, a good option to choose is 'Prompt' you can
then choose which you wish to accept. Click OK and your
options will be stored.

 

In earlier versions of I.E. these options are to be found
under 'View' then 'Internet Options' and under the
'Advanced' tab. For Netscape users cookie options are found
under 'Edit' then 'Preferences' and under the advanced
option list.

 

Of course the really paranoid amongst us can also choose to
delete their history and cache folders under these options
before accepting a cookie so that these may not be read by
it.

 

If you have already accepted cookies you can delete these
from your system and start afresh if you wish. On a PC
running Windows they are stored on your hard drive under
'Windows' 'Cookies' on other systems just do a search for
Cookies.

 

Open this cookie folder and you may well be amazed by the
number of cookies you have already accepted, some you may
recognise Microsoft, Yahoo etc but many will be for
advertising agencies. If you don't want them then don't
hesitate in sending them to your recycle bin.

 

Sites such as Microsoft insist on you accepting a cookie
before you access some resources, also some of the web based
e-mail services. You really have to decide for yourself
which cookies you want to accept. If you can't access your
web based mailbox and you want to use that service then you
are going to have to accept that cookie or find another
service. Also some online banks may make a request to help
track you.

 

Decide for yourself, your online privacy is your own affair
and you now have the knowledge to control at least some of
it ;->

 

 

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