I had a hard time coming up with a title for this blog entry, but I wanted to focus on the latest threats from cookies and also a basic rundown on what cookies are and what they do.
What is a Cookie
A Cookie is a small piece of text that a website will “drop” onto your computer and it is stored on your hard drive.
The text includes a small bit of information basically to remember you the next time you go back to that website.
For example, I like Weather Underground as I have a weather station there and I like the website. I go there often.
When I go there, a cookie is put on my computer so the next time I go back, it remembers me so I don’t have to log back in every time. It always remembers the location that I have in for weather.
The same thing with eBay or Amazon or any site you like to go to. It seems pretty harmless and can be helpful for most people.
All Cookies not Created Equal
But there are different kinds of cookies, and even the basic cookies can be “read” by other websites and information gleaned.
For example they can see some of your browsing habits and focus ads specifically targeted to you from what you have been doing on the Internet.
The interesting thing is, this is done by many Internet providers also. I know that Comcast does this. When I go looking at B&H Camera at some cool new camera stuff, tomorrow, when I go looking at a website I suddenly see B&H Camera ads, and possibly even of the product I was looking at today. No kidding.
Some of this is done with cookies, and some is just done because they know where you have been as your Internet provider.
Back to Cookies, so there are good and bad ones, and some really bad ones. Some that are put on the computer by a company, and it is not even their cookie. Tracking cookies can actually be an invasion of your privacy.
New Cookies, so Yummy – Maybe not so much
Recently there is a new type of cookie called a Flash Cookie, and another called Beacons. Some of these can actually tell that you are a Female, 26, from Oregon who likes the movie Sleepless in Seattle.
Basically this is demographics, just like your cable or satellite TV does, and you probably don’t even know it.
Did you know in your contract for TV service that part of it allows them to gather your viewing habits and use the statistics and share that info with other companies?
So basically it is up to you what cookies you keep or delete, or do not even allow on your computer.
If you would like to read some more about what cookies are, here is a FAQ to explain more.
Next Time
In part II I will cover how to clean up your cookies and combat this new Flash Cookie that even the Whitehouse Website is using!
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