Cookies And Privacy


What is a cookie, and what does it do?

A cookie is information used by some web sites such as:
those that request user names and passwords
allow you to configure personal settings (news, weather, etc.)
and most any site that needs to save information about you in order to retrieve it later when you return to the site. This cookie information is usually stored in a small text file on your computer's hard drive.

The file consists of a series of numbers and text characters, however no personal information such as credit card numbers, etc. are stored. Usually the numbers relate to a record in the site's database you are visiting. The site can then check their records to see your personal preferences, etc.

When you pay the site a return visit it reads the info in your cookie file and loads your personal settings. Some good examples are some of the popular book selling sites.

This normally happens in the background and the user never sees the cookie being accessed or saved. However most browsers allow you to set the preferences so you would be prompted before loading or saving a cookie.

Keep in mind though that if you do set your preferences to prompt you, then you may get a lot of prompts. Especially if you surf the internet a lot.


Ok, so what are Foreign Cookies?
In theory, if your browser stores a site's cookie, it can only be used by that particular site. Your browser will not allow one site to use cookies set by another. However if you visit site one and it uses an image from another site (we will call site two), then when your browser grabs the image from site two, site two can store a cookie as well. Now if site two has a lot of different sites using this image then it can store quite a bit of information about your activities online based on the sites you are visiting. This is a Foreign Cookie because the cookie is stored by a site other than the one you are visiting.


Should I accept or reject cookies?

Hmmm, good question. Let's look at both scenarios. Then it is strictly an individual's personal choice and not one that I can, or even would suggest for you to follow. The choice is yours since there are pros and cons to either.

Accepting Cookies
If you visit sites such as the popular book sellers and auction sites to buy books, gifts and such then obviously cookies can be an advantage. All of your info would be easily available for quick recall and for easy ordering from them. Also if you choose to be logged in automatically when you visit the site then it saves additional typing and input to have your personal options loaded.

These personal options could be things such as the types of gifts or books you like to buy or read. If you have a portal such as Yahoo then the same thing applies. When you visit the site it can load your local weather, news items you like to read and so forth.

Rejecting Cookies
Simply put, if a site is allowed to put a cookie on your computer it can store information of some things you do while visiting the site. If you reject cookies then the information can not be stored. Rejecting cookies will cause some inconvenience if you shop online a lot or visit a lot of member type sites that require login information.

For me the big issue is how the site plans to use the information. If they are going to sell or rent the info to other companies then I have a problem with it, this is a personal opinion. Especially if my email or home address is part of the info to be used, since I get enough spam and junk mail as it is.

If the information will only be used by that site to enhance my visit and will not be released, rented or sold to others then I personally don't have a problem with it.

But this is a choice you have to make based on your personal values and circumstances.

For a very indepth article on cookies visit the below link.
http://www.webstreetstudios.com/school/cookies.htm


What do cookies and privacy issues have to do with hackers and this book?

Well, first this book is about securing your home pc and not just hackers.

The more infomation potential intruders can get, the more apt they are to find a hole in your system and get to more sensitive data. Let's face it, one of the reasons for securing your computer is to protect it from possible damage and to protect the information you have stored on it.

Cookies can reduce that protection by making it available to other people or companies depending upon the Privacy Policy or Terms of Use policy in place at that site.

Does this mean they pass around all of your information? Certainly not.

It is a good practice to read the Privacy, and Terms of Use policies at all sites that request personal information before submitting any information. Be certain you understand what information they collect, and how they plan on using that information.

Also read the EULA (End User License Agreements) when installing new software. Sure most of them say they assume no liability for the software and if any problems or damage occurs they won't be responsible. And they warn you about copyrights and how you can only use the software on one or two machines, and so forth.

But what you are looking for is if the software sends any information back to the company and if so, what information and how is it used? Dig deep to be sure that you understand what you are agreeing to in relation to any information that might be used.

The next section is our resources section. It contains links and additional sites for more research on the topics I have discussed, as well as a quick listing of some of the previous resources mentioned.

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