The Magic Cookie

The Magic Cookie is a file created by Microsoft Explorer and Netscape Navigator which resides in the preferences folder. It stores data about you, and enables servers you visit to keep track of what you search for and access. They can store this information in their databases for the purpose of marketing analyses and perhaps to generate mailing lists. Besides commercial uses, it's always possible that some servers out there could use this feature to simply record any of your comings and goings and do with the information what they will. We're trying not to sound too Orwellian, but you get the drift...

 

From the Cookie Monster's Read Me
You can set your Netscape browser to alert you when a cookie is being sent so you can accept it or not, obviously an inconvenience to web surfing.
To do this go in Options, Network Preferences, Protocols; and select "Show an Alert Before Accepting a Cookie."
You can also download and use kill-cookie applications, some are listed below.

 

Cookie Killers (you can run them anytime or with Startup)
CCI will keep you updated with cookie information.
Another trick to "stop" cookies is to make a folder and call it whatever the browser you're using calls it's cookie file (Netscape Windows calls it cookies.txt), then replace that file with the folder you made and named. This works because a file cannot replace a folder of the same name!!

 

Sites with more "cookie" information.

Cookie notes
 http://www.illuminatus.com/cookie

Test your browser
 http://www.research.digital.com/nsl/formtest/html/UserInput.html

Promote trust in commerce
 http://www.etrust.org/

 

 

Back to Hotlinks Pages