Are cookies bad? Well, the edible ones, maybe, to some extent, yes. But how about the cookies that function on the WWW?
Contrary to the popular belief of them threatening your web privacy and online identity; most cookies are actually harmless.
So what is a cookie, exactly? Cookies are text strings that a Web server can store on a user's browser. "Cookies allow a Web site to store information on a user's machine and later retrieve it. The pieces of information are stored as name-value pairs" (via HowStuffWorks)
The most common use of a cookie is to store a user ID. For example, the cookie might containing the following string: ID=96352398
Amazon.com is one site that uses this technique. When you order a book, you fill out a form with your name and address. Amazon assigns you an ID, stores your information with that ID in its database on the server, and sends the ID to your browser as a cookie. Your browser stores the ID on your hard disk. The next time you go to Amazon, the ID is sent back to the server. The server looks you up by your ID and customizes the Web page it sends back to you. The page might say, "Welcome back, Joe Smith!"-HowStuffWorks
Cookies allow a site to store information on your machine. They are often used by websites to remember what state your browser is in (how many times you have visited the site), the pages you have view, the different things you add to your "cart" as you shop online, and the information you have given to the site.
They also do not transmit any computer viruses, and they cannot be manipulated and modified to get any personal online information you have keyed in. In fact, you can even open them up for yourselves to see what text strings are being saved into your drive.
Overall, cookies are simply little text files that make your internet browsing better by enabling a server to remember any customized information you have set. So no need to get paranoid every time you come across some cookie files in your drive! Most cookies exist to help us use websites who are supposed to be of help- not pose a threat to our online privacy.
But I did say most cookies, didn't I? We can't expect all cookies to be just of good use especially now that we live in an age wherein we don't exactly know the breadths of technology capability. Sad as it may be, there are new types of cookies, namely Third Party Cookies and Flash Cookies. These cookies have been known to deliver our online history to online advertising networks- which then in turn, sends us numerous pop-up ads.
Not to worry though! To every problem, there is a solution. Since this blog post is getting pretty long, you can find the solution to these bad cookies in my other blog post, Privacy Boosters! Just click on this link, and you're all set!
