21.4. Controlling Cookies The cookies that Web sites silently and invisibly deposit on your hard drive are usually as sweet and harmless as they sound. These tiny text files are preference-setting files for individual Web sites. When Amazon.com greets you with "Welcome, Casey!" (or whatever your name is), or when NYTimes.com gives you access to the special, fee-only articles you've paid for, you know they've stored a cookie on your hard drive so they can recognize you when you return. But when an advertiser on a Web site gives your computer a cookie, it does you no good at all. Called third-party or tracking cookies, these text files benefit only the advertiser. As long as you carry that cookie, the advertiser can keep track of your surfing habits. When you visit one of its affiliated Web sites, the company can use that information to show you ads likely to tempt you into clicking. If you think tracking cookies are an invasion of your privacy, you're not alone. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION
Beware of Adware? | | My brother says that the ads in my email program's window do the exact same thing as spyware. He says the program monitors my online activities and reports back to the company, which could use that information in any number of ways. Should I be worried ? Probably not. Many useful programs happen to be adware. A company gives you the software gratis, but in return you have to look at a few advertisements each time you use it. It's a simple quid pro quo deal. For example, Eudora's email program (Section 14.1.3.4) is freeif you don't mind seeing a few ads while you send and receive email. (The ads go away when you close the program.) The paid version doesn't show you the ads Like spyware, adware programs may run in the background of your PC and quietly transmit information about your online activities back to the mother ship, even if you don't actually have the program's window open onscreen. That's how it figures out what ads might interest you. However, adware makers don't want spyware's bad reputation rubbing off on them, so they take pains to be more upfront about what information they gather and how they use it. For instance, some versions of WeatherBug, a popular program for displaying temperatures and weather forecasts, can pester you with pop-up ads and even install other programs on your PC. But that's only because you agreed to it. The moral of the story: Read the fine print whenever you install any software that connects to the Internet. Even if the user agreement is 16 pages long onscreen, scan the text for the area concerning Privacy, which is where you'll find details about the info an ad program collects. Especially if the program you've downloaded is adware, make sure you know what you're getting into before you click that Install button. |
Fortunately, Web browsers have no trouble spottingand refusingthird-party cookies. You simply set your browser to block cookies that come from sites other than the one you're visiting. To change your cookie settings, proceed like this:
Tip: Somewhere in your browser's Options or Preferences you'll find an option to delete all cookies already on your computer. You can erase your tracks this way, although you'll also erase personalized settings for some Web sites.
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