You could be alarmed but are cookies a problem? Yes and No.
Cookies are the most common privacy invader, but they are also easy to control.
Privacy on the web is no different to anywhere else, essentially it should work on the basis of informed consent. If we are informed about what is happening we can decide if we approve or not. I like to be informed before it happens, not after, then maybe I will allow it. Unfortunately lots of people try the sneaky back door method. These are controllable.
Web sites begin to store data about you whenever you visit them, mostly so they can recognise you when you visit again. Some of this data is stored on your own computer as cookies. This is useful information to whoever we visit. The sort of information they collect includes the web browser you are using, browsing preferences, buying history, etc. Mostly these sort of cookies and communications are fine and mostly beneficial. Banks, and many businesses use this to assist their operations, for our advantage.
Unfortunately some of the ad companies are not quite so considerate. They track your internet travels and habits without asking permission. An example of the outcome of this is when you suddenly get a banner ad selling you exactly what you got somewhere else, or something on a similar line. This is where you thought, Gee this is convenient, or How did they Know I like that? When you realise it is annoying.
Fortunately there are things we can do to help, if we want to.
Great Source of information is The IT Solution For you website
There are a few places that can give you all the detail and run down on cookies. A couple of good places to check out include www.cookiecentral.com and www.privacy.net . Both of these are American but still very useful for background information.
If you want a programme to block, or better still to filter, cookies then there are many places to go for ideas and programmes. Mostly these are free, or shareware. A simple one that connects easily to your browser is IDecide (www.idecide.com). One that has more controls to stop cookies from all sites except those that you permit is AdSubtract (www.adsubtract.com) and although requires some management is very good. A blocker that has the ability to filter out more than just cookies is Naviscope (www.naviscope.com) . This one with a bit of management can also be used to get rid of those annoying pop-ups, music, sound, blinking text, etc.
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You can also put up a firewall to make your computer invisible to those predatory businesses that are constantly on the lookout for new clients. For most of us this is not really worth the effort but if you are just having fun the make your computer undetectable by using ZoneAlarm (www.zonealarm.com) which is quite fun and free. And don’t forget that the cookies take up space on your hard drive and it is recommended that you clean them out regularly. If you aren’t sure how, please ask. |
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