Cookies
If you talk to a typical surfer, you'll find
one of their biggest fears is of this horrible thing called a
cookie. Based on the press, cookies are so dangerous,
such a huge security risk that anyone would be foolish to even
consider letting one within a mile of him.
In actuality, cookies are harmless.
All they are is a simple bit of text which web sites use to
identify a surfer in some manner. This could be as
simple as a numeric character saying "this is Richard", or in
some cases it can contain actual email addresses, phone
numbers or addresses - BUT ONLY IF THESE WERE ENTERED BY THE
SURFER.
Cookies can be very wonderful as, properly
used, they can personalize the surfing experience making it
that much more profitable and enjoyable.
Sometimes their use is of more concern, as
in DoubleClick's use of them to keep a record of your surfing
habits. This company claims they use the data to give you
exposure to ads more tailored to your desires, but it raises
some critical privacy concerns. What's the problem?
DoubleClick and other similar companies keep a record of all
of your surfing habits. Do you trust them? Do you even know
who they are?
In some rare instances, amateur webmasters
actually store credit card or other sensitive data directly in
a cookie. This is extremely bad practice and anyone who
discovers it should most definitely complain loud and clear.
Fortunately, it is fairly rare.
Perhaps the main real danger of a cookie is
that it records what has been surfed. For example, if
you surfed to a site called "babeworld.com", you might get a
cookie file named "tom@babeworld.com". Tom might have to
think fast if his wife examined his cookie directory.
Generally, cookies are extremely valuable. Sometimes
they may let others know more about what you've been doing
than you desire. My recommendation is to
find a good cookie management product and install it on
your computer. Then selectively accept or decline
cookies from specific sites as you are asked.
Additional Information
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