A "cookie" is information saved by a web browser to a file on the user's hard drive. These can be extremely useful. If you visit a particular web page frequently, the web page can save account information and user preferences to a file on your hard drive. Keep in mind, however, that since the web site can read this information, you need to be aware that this information is not private. Some folks, concerned about privacy, configure their browser to block cookies.

For a CIAC report on cookies, see: http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/i-034.shtml

For more general information on cookies, see: http://www.cookiecentral.com
http://www.cookiecentral.com/faq

Enabling/Disabling Cookies

In Netscape Communicator, choose Preferences from the Edit menu and then choose Advanced (lower left side of the screen). For class assignments, you will need to be sure Java and JavaScript are enabled. For assignment 4, Make sure "Accept all cookies" is selected. (You can disable this if you wish after completing the assignment.)

For privacy related products, see: http://www.nsclean.com/

Do Cookies Pose a Security Risk? See

http://www.w3.org/Security/Faq/wwwsf7.html#Q66 for security and privacy issues and information about DoubleClick.com.

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