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How Do Cookies Influence Internet Security?
There are a number of different reasons a website might use cookies. Most sites use them to collect demographic data about the viewers. They look at how long you stay on their website, how often you come, and which pages you look at while you do. This can help companies refine their marketing strategies to meet consumer needs. For example, if you always visit the website after one a.m., and lots of other customers do too, they might launch a new ad campaign based on that information. Another reason a website might use cookies is to offer you a personalized experience at the web site. The host server automatically assumes this is the first time you've visited the site if no cookies are present in your system. However, if the site deposits cookies on your hard drive, the host server knows you are a returning customer. You might have seen this before when you return to a website where you've made purchases in the past, and the header at the top says “Hello, Mr. Jones!” You may have wondered how they knew your name. It was the cookies they deposited on your system. Shopping websites may also make recommendations based on other purchases you've made from them in the past as the host server stores which pages you looked at and which pages you purchased from. One final reason a website may use cookies is to monitor your advertising messages. Most sites run several banner ads at once. The cookies can help tell the host server which banner ads you've seen and which you have not. This can help the company from a business standpoint because they can tell advertisers that site viewers will see each of their ads an approximate number of times each time they visit the site. Cookies do not compromise your internet security. In some fashion, they do compromise your privacy, but because cookies are simple text files, they cannot hurt your computer in any fashion. It is not a program. It is not a plug-in. It is not malware. It is not spyware. It cannot spread a virus. It cannot even access your hard drive information. Cookies only have six parameters that can be stored within them. Cookies can contain the name of the cookie. They can also contain the value of the cookie and the expiration date of the cookie. This is how long the cookie will stay active on your system. For example, if you visit a shopping website, they may deposit a cookie on your system that will stay active for seven days. After that, the cookie remains on your system, but the host server will no longer recognize it after that point. Cookies can also contain a path or URL. This means that any websites outside of this path are recognized as invalid, and other host servers cannot recognize a cookie from a different website. Cookies can also contain a domain. If one host server works for multiple sites, the cookie's domain can tell it which of the sites to access. For example, if one company runs a banking website, a shopping website, and a charity website, the cookie will only be valid for one of the websites. If you use the shopping website, the cookie deposited to your system will not be good for the banking website. The final information a cookie can store is the need for a secure connection. Secure connections are used on websites where sensitive personal information is transmitted. A cookie with this information would prompt the host server to allow you to log in to their secure connection. If you do not want your system to accept cookies, most browsers have a setting in their options menu that can help you reject cookies from websites to ensure your privacy from companies who deposit cookies on your system. It is a good idea to clean your cookies file on a regular basis. Massive Profits are being made from Online Auctions. Learn how to harness the Money Making Power of eBay from a Real Powerseller. Visit our daily blog, "Auction Profit Tips", get a FREE gift and learn dozens of eBay money making tips, tricks and hints. bzh45qr Article Source: http://AuctionProfitTips.NET | |
