Cookies, or more precisely HTTP cookies, are small text files that are stored on a users computer when he visits a website that is making use of them. They can store session information, shopping cart contents, website preferences, can be used for authentication and for tracking the user.
The first applications are beneficial and most of the time necessary to use all of the functions of a website. Blocking cookies on a website that is storing session information in them will have the result that the user is asked for authentication whenever he loads a new page on the server.
Tracking cookies on the other hand do not benefit the user at all unless you would say that targeted advertisement is beneficial. It does not really make sense to enable cookies for all websites, especially those that use them to track the user. It’s more of a privacy issue but one that many users take serious.
Most browsers either come with build in features to enable cookies on a per site basis or provide extensions and add-ons that make it easy to enable cookies only on websites where cookies are necessary for the website to function properly.Firefox users can for instance use the excellent CS Lite Cookie Manager.
Internet Explorer comes with some settings in the Internet Options that can manage cookies effectively has a few options as well but not as man as Internet Explorer.
Related posts:
Effective Secure Cookie ManagementCS Lite Firefox Cookie Manager
Browser Cookie Limits
Internet Explorer: Expired Cookie Remover
Firefox Cookie Editor
4 Responses to “Why you should restrict Cookie Access”
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[...] Leave a comment Postato da Martin su ghacks [...]
‘CS Lite Cookie Manager’ is indeed excellent.
Generally speaking, it is always become some abuse that those, abused, are led to make radical choices, such as “CS Lite’ concerning cookies. If websites used cookies only for what they were originally intended for, “session information, shopping cart contents, website preferences” there would be no need of extreme precautions. Evil is everywhere, consequently protection becomes the only alternative to safety as well as to paranoia.
The anti-ads codes proceed from the same scheme : if advertisement had remained healthy, that is respectful of the consumer and of the product (no ad inflation, true ad information) then advertisement would have been not only accepted, but appreciated as a source of valid information.
Mankind is odd, some of its representatives spend their time as intruders while others spend too much time and labor in defensive processes.
When I think of the power required for defensive computer maintenance (anti-virus, firewall, anti-malware …) while it could be so worthy elsewhere, I tell myself “What a wonderful jam…” :)
well so far I alway found it too much a hassle to always switch from enabling do blocking cookies and just always allowed them with the option to delete em all with the closing of firefox. Probably not the secure version I guess^^ I will give CS lite a try
I block all ads, tracking and not, for 9 years.