In case you might be wondering...

What is a 'cookie' file?
What does it do?
What information does it provide?
How do you prevent them?

So here is a brief article on "cookies".

A "cookie" is a small data file that is stored on your computer when you visit a particular web site (some sites use them, others don't). It can identify certain things about you, such as your IP address, your computer name, and what sites you have visited, or banners you have clicked on.

(Note: Your IP address is a unique number your computer is assigned when you connect to your Internet provider - which can identify the 'proximity' of your geographic location).

Cookies are most often used for web sites to identify you when you go BACK to their site. They can tell what pages you visited before, what ads were displayed in your browser, and unique login names that you used at that site.

Some sites require cookies for you to sign on (i.e. Yahoo). This is because cookies are actually a great way to prevent unauthorized people from going to sites that you have registered at (which is one of the good things about them).

There are a few different types of cookies. Those that are specific to the particular web site you visited, or those that may be shared with other web sites.

How do cookies hurt you? Will they get your email address or private credit card information?

Cookies do not generally provide detailed personal information. They are actually text files stored in your Internet browser folders that have a bunch of numbers and unfamiliar data. Sites will use their own decoding techniques to get information on activity and surfing habits to the particular web site you have visited.

Unless you input private personal information in an online form (such as name, address, ect) it will never be obtainable by a cookie.

Personal credit card information input on a web site is generally NOT stored in a cookie. It is sent to a particular site using SSL (secure socket layer), which is encrypted for security purposes. That site may store a 'customer id' in a cookie file, which may in fact identify you in their company data base. But to other external sites, the customer id would be meaningless.

Are you able to prevent cookies from being stored on your computer?

Sure.

Most browsers will provide you with security options. For example, Internet Explorer from Microsoft will let you disable all cookies, prompt for each instance of cookie use, or just allow all of them.

(* Goto Tools, Internet Options, Advanced)

You can also use an external program that will delete cookies from your computer, and keep other ones.

Try searching for cookie programs at:

www.nonags.com

or try cookie pal at zdnet

Or Cookie Manager

Note, UNLESS you provide a particular website with information such as your name, address, email, ect.. there is no way for actual personal information to be stored on your computer via a cookie.
And having cookies on your computer is not going to make it run slower, eat up space, or cause any real harm.

For more information about cookies, just try seaching the net
at www.google.com and you will find all kinds of interesting and informative articles.

To increase email security, when using online forms, simply provide an alternative email address, other than your 'regular' email.

(Check out www.spammotel.com for a cool way to create different email addresses on the fly).

Or if junk mail is a really a problem, review the TTI article on PREVENTING SPAM.

Robert
TTI Staff

http://articles.todaystechnologies.net

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