Web sites that "use cookies"...are they safe? (1 Viewer)

I have noticed a number of web sites now have banners that say something like...........
"we use cookies-please click to say you accept this"

Not really knowing what a "cookie" is I always decline/ignore. As an e.g. a football related site I regularly use now has this banner----it takes up 1/3rd of the page:eek!:

So........
should I accept ?
What benefit is there to accept/decline ?

Thanks

Nearly all (or all?) websites use cookies - it speeds up/enhances the user's experience so you you should accept if its a website you want to keep using. Its recently become law for all websites to display this cookie warning. Websites without this warning are potentially dodgy though!

It's probably not so much of a problem in these broadband-enabled days, but by clicking on decline each time you visit one of these sites, it will download everything each time. In the old dial-up days, this would have really slowed down your experience and even on mobile it could cost you more money as you may be paying for data each time it's downloaded.

The cookie is a small file from the website that gets stored on your computer. When you visit the site, the server that the site is hosted on does a check against what's in the cookie and what's on the web page, and if there's been no change to the content then the site is loaded from previous files that you had downloaded, these will have stored in your temporary internet files. If there's anything on the web page that has changed, it would only download the appropriate files, using the cookie as a reference.

The law came into place for privacy reasons. First of all it was deemed necessary for users to be told that these files were getting stored on their computers, and secondly you may have noticed that you see the same adverts appearing on multiple sites. This is due to cookies - they can be used like tracking devices.

If it's a site you use regularly, accept the cookies. If it's your first and possibly only visit, ignore the request or click decline.

Simon Wates said:

Nearly all (or all?) websites use cookies - it speeds up/enhances the user's experience so you you should accept if its a website you want to keep using. Its recently become law for all websites to display this cookie warning. Websites without this warning are potentially dodgy though!

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JTweedie said:

The cookie is a small file from the website that gets stored on your computer. .

The law came into place for privacy reasons. First of all it was deemed necessary for users to be told that these files were getting stored on their computers, and secondly you may have noticed that you see the same adverts appearing on multiple sites. This is due to cookies - they can be used like tracking devices.

If it's a site you use regularly, accept the cookies. If it's your first and possibly only visit, ignore the request or click decline.

Click to expand...

Thank you both.........I must say I find it a bit scary-but assume it's the same for everyone.

I dislike being tracked on the 'net and having my search queries, advertising etc. being 'tailored' for me.

I routinely set any browser to block 3rd party cookies, I also clean out Flash cookies on a regular basis.

My default search engine is DuckDuckGo, strange name but clean, pertinent results for the vast majority of my searches.

I use a hosts file that blocks many ad servers and known bad sites, this also blocks any cookies from them.

My main browser has DoNotTrackMe installed, this prevents most of the tracking companies from trailing me around the 'net. I have white-listed some sites to allow them to generate a little income from me and a very small number of others because DNTM affects the way those sites work.

If you have to have adverts then surely it is better to have ones that might have at least some relevance.

To answer the original query. There is nothing to be worried about.

I realise that most people don't give a damn about being tracked online (of which cookies are a part) but take a look at some links:
http://www.youronlinechoices.com/uk/
http://donttrack.us/
http://www.abine.com/blog/2012/our-...-tracking-is-at-an-all-time-high-infographic/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...tching-How-sinister-cookies-track-online.html
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/london/uk-cookie-law-takes-effect-what-you-need-to-know/4910

Does running a program like CCleaner after you do a web search erase the cookies on your computer? If so, does this keep these web sites from tracking you?

To some extent; CCleaner can clear all normal cookies and can be set to clear Flash cookies, doing this would clear most tracks stored in your system. It does nothing to clear any history already stored online during each of your browsing sessions.

Any browsing done while you're logged into a site, like Google/Gmail/YouTube and related sites, Yahoo mail, FB, Amazon, Ebay etc. will be retained online, the resulting data probably sold on to their 3rd party 'partners too.

Even if you're not logged in anywhere and all cookies blocked, it's still possible to trace some of your movements via your IP address, combined with your browser 'fingerprint' and more.

Here's today's take on privacy, cookies etc.: The 5 biggest online privacy threats of 2013

Andrew Rowlands said:

Here's today's take on privacy, cookies etc.: The 5 biggest online privacy threats of 2013

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WOW.........that is so scary!!!!!!!!!!!!