Are Internet cookies evil?
An article at ZDNet says so, pointing to a recent AOL fiasco. Actually, it’s not all cookies but specifically those that are called “tracking” cookies that are in question. The cookies that store log-in information for sites such as the New York Times or Amazon are not in question. Tracking cookies keep a record of what sites you visit and the privacy issues raised by the collection of this type of information are the problem. Advertisers routinely use these cookies to try to target their marketing.
The privacy questions about tracking cookies are not new. Practically any anti-spyware program of the past few years has been set up to remove them. In fact these programs probably go overboard in their emphasis on their dangers. (It helps justify the existence of the anti-spyware programs.) It is actually rather simple to avoid tracking cookies. The trick is to allow useful cookies that speed up log-ins while preventing the tracking cookies. I have discussed cookies in general and have given methods for controlling them in several articles. For information on how cookies work and how to manage them, here are some references:
- What cookies are for, how they work and general methods for managing them
- Advanced cookie management in Internet Explorer
- Cookie management in Firefox
- Using a customized Privacy Import File to manage cookies in Internet Explorer
- Understanding and creating customized Privacy Import Files for Internet Explorer
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