Section 9.8. Privacy and Cookies


9.8. Privacy and Cookies

Cookies are something like Web page preference files. Certain Web sitesparticularly commercial ones like Amazon.comdeposit them on your hard drive like little bookmarks, so that they'll remember you the next time you visit. On Amazon, in fact, a greeting says "Hello, Casey" (or whatever your name is), thanks to the cookie it uses to recognize you.

Most cookies are perfectly innocuousand, in fact, are extremely helpful. They can let your PC log into a site automatically, or let you customize what the site looks like and how you use it.

But fear is on the march , and the media fan the flames with tales of sinister cookies that track your movement on the Web. Some Web sites rely on cookies to record which pages you visit on a site, how long you spend on a site, what kind of information you like to find out, and so on.

If you're worried about invasions of privacyand you're willing to trade away some of the conveniences of cookiesInternet Explorer is ready to protect you.

Choose Tools Internet Options Privacy to get to the Privacy tab. The slider on the left side lets you pick your compromise on the convenience/privacy scale, ranging from Accept All Cookies to Block All Cookies (Figure 9-11).

Figure 9-11. This box helps you keep your private information privateit lets you control how your PC works with cookies, which are bits of data put on your hard disk by Web sites. Medium High is a good setting that balances your privacy with Web sites' needs to use cookies for purposes like automated logins.



Note: Some sites don't function well (or at all) if you choose to reject all cookies. So if you choose High Privacy, and you run into trouble browsing your favorite sites, return here and change the setting to Medium High. (Internet Explorer's factory setting is Medium.)



Windows Vista for Starters
Windows Vista for Starters: The Missing Manual
ISBN: 0596528264
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2007
Pages: 175
Authors: David Pogue

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