Can anyone enlighten me as to what 'tracking cookies' are?

[babylonsister]

I'd never seen this before, but the last 2 times I've run Ad-Aware, it discovered 'tracking cookies' on my system. Should I be worried? :shrug:

[FormerDittoHead]

1. "tracking cookies"

Pardon me, but google is your friend.

http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/cookieoptout.html

...these kinds of cookies are typically sent to your computer by advertising or marketing companies, and they can last for decades. The reason these cookies can create a long history of your Web browsing and job searching activities is because these kinds of cookies allow companies to track your movements across many different Web sites. This can be a real problem over time.

For example, if you are looking for a job on Monster.com (which as of this writing deposits advertising.com cookies, among others) and then you go look at a health Web site such as MD.com, then a company called Advertising.com knows you have been to both places. That's because Advertising.com puts a tracking cookie, or a file, on your computer to report back to them whenever you visit one of the sites in their advertising network, sometimes even saying what pages or specific jobs you looked at. Some sites even have cookies on areas where you fill out forms or post a resume, so those companies know when you have posted a resume and may know what kind of information you are giving out online.

What do the marketing companies actually learn from tracking cookies? It may surprise you. If you have filled out forms online with your real name and contact information, or have clicked on banners then purchased an item, or if you have filled out sweepstakes or contests forms, then it is quite possible that major online advertisers know your name and have associated it with your Internet Protocol, or IP address and other information........

[babylonsister]

2. Yes, google is a good buddy

(as long as they maintain their stance of not allowing the gov't access to them) But since this is a forum for asking computer-related questions, I thought I'd do so.
Thanks.

Edit to add: I'm getting more paranoid daily. Your definition makes me recognize tracking cookies are common, though I wonder why they started popping up all-of-a-sudden. :think:

[RoyGBiv]

3. Possibilities ...

Why they started showing up all-of-a-sudden ...

You recently started visiting a site or sites that use them.
A site you've long been visiting started using them.
The definitions file of Adaware was updated recently to include the particular cookies being flagged, even though they'd been there all along.

Etc ...

And, yes, this is a help forum, and it is good to ask questions regardless of the buddy-factor of Google because the results on Google or other search engines don't always give you the best answer in a single place and tend not to allow for follow-up discussion.

[FormerDittoHead]

5. Should Firefox users bother using Adaware?

I don't use it, but maybe I should?

[RoyGBiv]

6. Yes ...

If you use it on a Windoze based system, then yes, you should use Adaware and/or Spybot Search & Destroy and probably Spywareblaster as well.

Firefox is not a cure-all by any means, and if you accept cookies, allow Java, or ever download and use an executable, you're doing things that FF isn't intended to handle.

The most common vehicle for adware is distribution with other programs, particularly shareware. "Free" screensavers, for example, are notorious for coming bundled with adware. A lot of those "free" weather programs people have are front-ends for adware. You install the screen saver or a weather program like Weather Bug, and it installs a program that throws popup ads at you regardless of your web browser. Hell, some ISP's give you a startup disc that is full of adware that infects your system from the moment you sign-on.

[babylonsister]

8. Thanks, RoyGBiv; I'm learning and appreciate your

help!

[FormerDittoHead]

4. How do you manage your cookies? IE or Firefox user?

[babylonsister]

7. Firefox, and I delete cookies often. I'm still getting the tracking

ones, so plan on using Adware daily to delete. At least they're being found!