Why do I get cookies on my computer

asks ursula
A. Cookies are designed to make it easier for you to get around on the web.

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Q. They're not put there to glean information about me and my computer then
A. No. Put that down to paranoia. The myth is that cookies are programmes placed on your hard drive by websites. Once there, they secretly gather information about you and what you do on the internet. The website can then download all that information for its own uses.

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Q. Not true at all, then
A. No. For a start, cookies are not programmes and aren't capable of gathering an information on their own. Also, they cannot collect information about you from your computer.

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Q. If they are not programmes, what are they
A. A cookie is simply a text document that a website can place on your hard drive to store information and then retrieve it later.

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Q. What sort of information
A. It usually consists of an individual ID number, perhaps an ID number for each visit, or even the time spent in a session. Most cookies only contain one piece of information - your ID number.

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Q. How does it work
A. If you type a website address into your browser, your browser sends a request to the website for the page. Your browser will also look on your hard drive for a cookie for the website. If it finds one, it will send the information in the cookie along with the address. If there is no cookie file, nothing is sent to the website address.

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If no cookie information has been sent, the website knows that this is the first time you have visited it. It creates a new ID for you and sends it to your hard drive.

Q. How do websites use cookies
A. They can accurately work out how many people use the site because they can tell the difference between new visitors and return visitors. They also allow such things as shopping trolleys and quick checkout options on shopping sites because they keep track of what you're buying.

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Q. Can I see the cookies on my hard drive
A. Yes, just do a document search - cookie.txt on a PC and cookie on a Mac.

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Q. Can I open the cookies
A. Yes, they're simple text files - just click on them to open.

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Q. Can a cookie do anything
A. No.

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Q. Can a cookie be changed
A. Yes, the website it came from can change the information inside it any time you are connected.

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By Sheena Miller