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Inside
Info from The Graziadio School...
got
cookies?
Cookies are text files
that some web servers put on your computer when you visit
a site. Cookies enable companies to recognize your computer
when you visit their site so they can greet you and display
customized stuff...like ads.
We
wouldn't blame you for being
a little nervous about
strangers putting files on your computer.
Who made them and did they wash
their hands first?
Click
here
to download a utility that finds cookies on your machine.
(Or search your hard drive for files named cookies.txt)
We
don't feed you cookies here in The LOOP.
And the banner ads of GBR sponsors don't either.
But cookies are awesome
e-business tools!
And every
e-business should try baking some.
Click here
to see how a cookie works.
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Learn
more about cookies here...
If
there's a cookie on your computer from a company called Doubleclick.com,
you might want to visit their web site and see why they fed
you a cookie. Being good sports, they offer you a way out
of their stealth marketing program.
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May
I See Some I.D.?
"Most people connect to the Internet using an Internet Service
Provider (ISP) or an online service. These firms have large pools
of Internet addresses called IP addresses which are randomly assigned
and re-assigned as people need them. It is this address that is tracked
by most web servers and it does not identify you, but rather identifies
you as a subscriber to a particular service.
So how can you be tracked? Well, unless you willingly provide some
additional information, you really can't be. Web servers are typically
able to read your IP address, the type of browser you are using, the
time of day and similar items related to your specific request for
data. This generally does not include personal data, nor does it typically
include data that identifies you specifically. However, if you sign
a guestbook, or register with an online mall, you are truly identifying
yourself." (Dave
Evans)
Just
Browsing
"Netscape plans to incorporate at least part of a newly drafted
standard written by Lou Montulli and Bell Labs researcher David Kristol
intended to give the surfer more control over cookies. Microsoft also
is working with Kristol and plans on supporting the draft plan. A
Web site sends a cookie to the user's computer, where it serves as
a digital tag that notifies the site each time the user enters. The
information can be used, for example, to automatically supply a password
for a subscription-only site or to collect information about an online
shopper's preferences so that electronic marketers can target their
offerings to that individual. Browsers that comply to the specification
would let users create a profile of which kinds of cookies they want
to let track their movements and which ones they want to stop at the
border, as it were. Kristol is proposing that browsers incorporate
the ability to let users create a profile of which kinds of cookies
they will accept." (Marc
Slayton)
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Eat
a cookie and get free news...
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EPIC
Files FTC Privacy Complaint Against DoubleClick
EPIC filed a complaint (PDF) with the Federal Trade Commission on
February 10, 2000, concerning the information collection practices
of DoubleClick Inc., a leading Internet advertising firm, and its
business partners. The complaint alleges that DoubleClick is unlawfully
tracking the online activities of Internet users (through the placement
of cookies) and combining surfing records with detailed personal
profiles contained in a national marketing database. EPIC's complaint
follows the merger of DoubleClick and Abacus Direct, the country's
largest catalog database firm. DoubleClick has announced its intention
to combine anonymous Internet profiles in the DoubleClick database
with the personal information contained in the Abacus database.
(Electronic
Privacy Information Center)
Cha...chiinnggg!
If you've ever clicked on a Barnes and Noble link or search box
on a site other than Barnes and Noble, and then purchased something,
a cookie lets Barnes and Noble know what site referred you, and
they get a small credit for the sale. (Web
School)
Trust Us
"We develop summary - not individual - reports for our advertisers.
An example of a summary report might be "12,000 people clicked on
Advertisement "X" today and of those people, 35% had previously
indicated they had an interest in sports." The people that make
it possible for you to use Excite for free - our advertisers - need
this information to determine how effective their advertising investments
are. We never tell our advertisers who it was that saw or clicked
on their advertisements unless you have specifically told us this
is acceptable." (Excite.com)
Now,
a Few Cookies From
"PBS
ONLINE is a member of the DoubleClick Network which places
sponsorship banners on certain, non-kids related Web pages
of PBS ONLINE. DoubleClick utilizes special software to
track user activity on our site. This software is called
a "cookie." DoubleClick's cookie contains no information
about you - only a unique number with no meaning whatsoever
outside of the DoubleClick Network. DoubleClick uses this
number to track the exposure of sponsor banners so a user
is not bombarded with the same sponsor message over and
over again. DoubleClick does not know the name, email address,
phone number, or home address of anybody who visits PBS
ONLINE. All users who receive a sponsor message targeted
by DoubleClick's technology remain completely anonymous.
To find out more about DoubleClick’s policy or to learn
how to "opt out" from cookies, visit DoubleClick’s site
for additional information."
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"Tracking
Cookies"
You can right click on the top banner ad at Space.com for example,
go to properties, and see that it was downloaded from http://m.doubleclick.net.
Try this on a few ads at other sites, and you will see ads downloaded
from http://image.eimg.com, http://ad.preferences.com among others.
So, the cookies you are receiving come from these servers when the
ads are loaded, not the site you are visiting. (Web
School)
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And
Cookies From
(Hey, at least they're small.)
"In
the Business Week archives, cookies are used to maintain your
session state. While browsing this portion of Business Week
Online, you have the opportunity to purchase and view articles
from past issues of Business Week. Cookies allow us to charge
you correctly. A note of clarification: cookies do not "pad
hits." They are simply a mechanism for web servers to communicate
more effectively with browsers. The current Businessweek portfolio
also uses cookies but for a different reason. In this case,
the cookie is used as a means of linking you with your portfolio.
This way when you log into the portfolio from the computer where
the cookie has been placed, your portfolio information can be
presented to you without the need of an additional password.
Our AdServer needs to set a cookie to identify a unique visitor.
The AdServer needs to know how many times it served an ad to
a visitor and uses a cookie in combination with AdSession to
track this information. This way we can rotate ads to you during
your visit to Business Week Online. We recognize the potential
inconvenience of being presented with cookies, but we are confident
that they in no way harm your system or your privacy, and thankfully,
they take up an insignificant amount of space on a hard drive."
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