Guide to Using Internet Cookies

By: Maeve Rich

This guide to using Internet cookies will remove the mystery. Internet cookies can sometimes conflict with internet privacy laws, but that doesn't mean all cookies are bad.

Internet cookies are used to gather information about visitors to a website. A web site can place a cookie, which is a piece of text, on a visitor's hard disk. Later, the web site can retrieve that cookie.

Sometimes websites place cookies on your computer to make your user experience on their site easier. They may place a cookie on your computer, giving you a unique user ID. This cookie will remember what on its site you visit, making future visits relatable to you. Websites may store other information as well, such as the length of time you spend on their site.

Using Internet cookies, contrary to popular belief, cannot harm your system. They are simply text data, not actual programs. Internet cookies can't see anything on your computer. A website can simply retrieve cookies it has already placed on your system. When you type in the URL of a website into your browser, your computer sends a request to that website. In turn, that website looks into your cookie file to see if it has already placed a cookie there. If it has, it will retrieve that data. This is how things such as shopping bags are able to be remembered without logging back in.

It is possible for you to stop this from happening, or to set your computer to send a request before it allows for using Internet cookie on your computer. Relying on Internet cookies is not always harmful. it can be a great way to have valuable information stored on your computer for your reference. 

Relying on Internet cookies is not always harmful. it can be a great way to have valuable information stored on your computer for your reference.  It's important to note that a site will only be able to obtain information that is has stored on your site.

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