Understanding and managing cookies on the Web
These are the cookies that you can make purchases on the Web or use other Web services. For example, when using an air reservation site, the site uses cookies to store the list of flights you book apart from that other reserve users simultaneously. On the other hand, you can use your credit card to buy something on a Web site that may use a cookie to remember the account number, your credit card is associated. Suppose that you provide this information from a computer at work and one person uses the same computer to visit the site after you. This person could make purchases with your credit card. Ooops! Customers have shared positions on cookies. Some do not care, but others see as an intolerable infringement of privacy. You decide. Contrary to rumors, files, cookies can not collect information on your hard drive, giving you a bad haircut, or otherwise wreak havoc in your life. They collect information that the browser provides. Both in Firefox Internet Explorer, you can check the list of sites that may set cookies on your computer. Select Tools -> Options, click the Privacy tab, and locate the Cookies section. If the Accept Cookies box is not checked, check it. Pass the value of the option Keep until they expire. Or, if you want to select sites that may set cookies on your computer, go the store to ask me every time. Firefox does not offer you the option to accept first-party cookies and refuse cookies by third parties other than asking you each time a site wants to create a cookie. You can specify which sites can set cookies, and those who can not click on the Exceptions button. You can enter the Web addresses of sites you trust (such as commerce sites you use regularly) and those sites which you are suspicious (such as advertising sites). You can view a list of cookies on your computer any moment. Click the Show Cookies button and scroll through the list of sites. If you notice a site that you do or say anything that seems suspicious, click Remove Cookie. Monitor cookies in Internet Explorer Use the Tools -> Internet Options to display the Internet Options dialog. Checks for cookies can be found in the Privacy tab, then click on it. By default, Internet Explorer rule your level to Medium, which allows cookies from sites you've contacted, but not those of third-party servers (those that are different from those to whom you speak explicitly to view the pages). The third-party servers typically display advertising in the form of those annoying pop-up ads. You can choose to manage yourself by clicking the Advanced button to access the dialog box Advanced Privacy Settings, and then checking the box Override automatic cookie. Your options are then * Cookies: You can choose to accept, block or be consulted to choose, but this option is proving very tedious very quickly if you encounter a lot of cookies. Some sites may store three cookies per page or more. * Third-party Cookies: Just say no to third party cookies (refuse to). * Always allow session cookies: This option allows all session cookies, a type of cookie that keeps information on time to visit a website. These cookies are often used
by commerce sites like Amazon.com, and they are harmless.