Page 119 - digitalliteracy

6.1 Leaving a Trail on the Web

The Trail of Browser Cookies

When your computer browser accesses a website for the first time, the website sends back
its IP address and other information to help the browser navigate the site and perform cer-
tain functions. The browser creates a small text file, called a browser cookie or a tracking
cookie, that contains information such as your computer IP address, which website pages
you viewed, and how long you stayed on each page.

Cookies can often be very helpful to you. They make using the web easier in many ways. Some
cookies, for example, store information so that if you leave a web page and return later, you
can pick up where you left off browsing the site, without having to start over. If you are on a
secure website (https://), however, the site will create another type of cookie so that when
you close your browser or the website is inactive for a certain period of time, the site will be
closed to protect your data. You must then log in and enter your password again to continue.

Cookies come in several different forms. Some are temporary and usually are deleted when
you leave the website. Examples of these and other temporary Internet files are shown in Fig-
ure 6.2. Temporary cookies are used for situations such as helping you with online shopping.
For example, when you select an item from a website to purchase and add it to your shopping
cart, a cookie allows you to save the item while you continue shopping the site for additional
products. That way, you do not have to go through a separate checkout process for each item
(WiseGEEK, 2015). Temporary cookies are also used by some websites to display items you
have previously viewed, so you can find them again if you wish. Although these cookies may be
temporary, they still leave an elec-
tronic trail. If you do not purchase Figure 6.2: Computer temporary Internet files

an item you viewed, you might get
an e-mail from the retailer the next Accessing this window (on Microsoft computers) allows you
to delete cookies from your computer hard drive, which can
day asking if you would consider
help maintain privacy online.
purchasing the item and perhaps
even offering you a discount.

Most cookies, however, are not tem-
porary; they are permanently stored
on your computer hard drive. If you
delete them, they will be created
again if you go back to that website
in the future. This type of cookie is
typically stored on your computer
hard drive, with a matching file kept
on the website computer system.
Permanent cookies allow a website
to remember your name and pass-
word the next time you log in or to
store your credit card information
and retain your billing and shipping
address for purchases. Permanent
cookies also allow retailers to cre-
ate an account for you and show
you a history of all items you have From Microsoft.
purchased from them.

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