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Do you remember the first time
you was offered a cookie from a web site? If you were new
to the Internet it was a surprise. A web site wanted to
put a cookie on your computer.
Maybe your first thoughts
were, “What’s a cookie? Should I accept it or reject
it?"
Some sites never asked to
give you a cookie... Other sites required your acceptance
of cookies to get information, to read articles or look
through their products or get their free downloads.
According to Netscape,
"Cookies are a general mechanism which server side
connections (such as CGI scripts) can use to both store
and retrieve information on the client side of the
connection."
Most cookies are set once
and then go away when you turn off your browser. The other
type of cookie, the persistent cookie, is set and remains
on your hard drive until either your space for cookies is
full or the time stamp on it expires.
A site has access to any
information you provide (including information like your
IP address, browser type, and the page that referred you
to their site, as well as forms you fill out) without
using any cookies at all. So, it's more important to know
the privacy policies of a site than to worry about whether
they use cookies.
Cookies are small pieces of
information gathered from you and/or your computer by a
web server and stored in your computer, ready for future
access by the server or web site. Cookies are embedded in
the HTML information flowing back and forth between your
computer and the web sites and servers.
What’s The Purpose of
Cookies? They allow user side customization of web
information. For example, cookies are used to personalize
web sites. They allow you to participate in surveys,
contests... And, making sure you participate only once...
And to store shopping lists of items you have selected
while browsing through a list of products or a virtual
shopping mall.
Some sites require YOU
accept cookies to access their information, tips or
articles from their web site. Cookies make use of specific
information you prefer. That specific information is
transmitted by your web server into your computer cookie
file so the information is available for later access by
itself and other servers.
In most cases, not only
does the storage of personal information into your cookie
file go unnoticed, so does access to it. Web servers
automatically gain access to relevant cookies whenever you
establish a connection to them.
Cookies are based on a
two-stage process. First, the cookie is stored in your
computer sometimes without your consent or knowledge.
But... On Netscape browsers you can go to preferences, set
your browser to alert you before accepting a cookie. On
Internet Explorer follow the Tools/Internet
Options/Security menu to set cookie preferences. It's your
choice.
For example... Some web
pages are customizable so you can select categories of
interest to you from the web page. The web server then
creates a cookie that is a string of text containing your
preferences, and puts this small cookie text file in your
computer.
If your web browser is set
to receive cookies... the cookie text is stored on your
computer in a file called a cookie file. This happens
without your consent unless your have set your browser to
notify you before accepting a cookie and before it is
stored on your computer.
Would you like to see your
cookie file?
On a Macintosh you can do a
find for 'magiccookie' on your hard drive...
On a PC do a find for
'cookies.txt' on your hard drive.
Each cookie file is a small
text file. After you find the file you can open it by
double clicking it. Looking at the files doesn’t tell
you much unless you get deeper into writing and setting
cookies.
Remember... a site only
knows what information you’ve entered and your browser
type and ISP. Cookies are neither good nor bad, they can
provide convenience for you and do serve useful functions
on the web.
You CAN delete the entire
cookies file on your computer if cookies concern you. Just
find the file and delete it. Then set your browser
preferences to NOT accept cookies.
"I’ve always
accepted cookies and have noticed no bad effects. So my
personal preference is to continue accepting
them,"... Now It’s Your Choice!
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