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Help > Cookies
A cookie is a small
file which is stored on your computer. When you go to and download some web
pages, the web server sends a cookie to your web browser such as Internet
Explorer or Netscape as part of the header. The cookie is then stored on your
machine. When you then connect back to the same website in which the cookie was
retrieved from in the first place, the information which was stored in the
cookie is sent back to the server where the website is stored.
Cookies contain certain information about your visit to a particular
website. A cookie might contain a username of password. All this does not come
automatically because in order for a cookie to store information about you or
your visit, it has to be sent to the website in the first place.
Let's take Amazon book store for example. When you sign up for an account at
Amazon, a cookie is stored on your computer which holds certain credentials
about you. i.e. your name and possibly your login account id. When you return
back to Amazon, the web server can retrieve the information from the cookie on
your machine and then use it to say, customize the look of the web page you are
viewing.
Another example might be a targeted advertising company or banner agency. The
company in question might want to track which information your are accessing on
the website. The company could store information about which pages you are
viewing or going to. This information could be used by the company to either
provide a more effective service for its customers or purely just monitor which
adverts are displayed. The banner agency could even collate information about
the most popular pages and then sell more expensive advertising solutions to
there customers.
So how does a cookie know who you are? Well a cookie has a unique ID so if you
go to a website and then return, the website knows that you have been there
before. Ideal if you are looking to see how many repeat visitors come back to
website.
The cookies which are stored on your computer can only be access by the same
website. So for example, if you hop along to Amazon and it creates a cookie on
your computer, a competitor to Amazon cannot read the information contained in
the cookie. So you can be sure that your privacy is secure.
The overall security of cookies has been questioned time and time again. Cookies
are fairly safe while surfing the web, but because cookies are usually just
standard text files on your computer, you can never be sure who is reading them
when you are away from your desk.
You need to take care. When you purchase items from the Internet and it involves
passing credit card details across, be sure the company is well known. You need
to be aware of Internet security and take it seriously.
Managing Cookies in Internet Explorer
If you want to play it safe and remove cookies
within Internet Explorer, you can simply click on the Tools menu and then click
on Internet Options. Click on the tab titled security and you should see a
similar window as above.
You then need to click on the button labelled Custom
Level. You should then see a window very much like above. If you then move the
right hand scroll bar down until you come to the title cookies, you are able to
them select Disable. Disabling cookies may not be your best option and you might
prefer to select prompt. This will allow for your authorization before a cookie
is written to your computer.
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