Internet Cookies & Privacy - How to manage the tracking of your personal information

© 2016 eSOZO Computer & Network Services • www.esozo.com Zombie Cookies: What They Are and How To Disable Them

© 2016 eSOZO Computer & Network Services • www.esozo.com

Internet Privacy & Website Tracking

Yesterday you emailed a friend to tell them about how much the kids love the new swimming pool, and today every ad on Facebook is trying to sell you inflatable rafts.

What’s going on here? How did they KNOW?

If you’re a little creeped out about these eerily specific ads you’re not alone. Privacy advocates are worried about website tracking too, and they have their eye on the main culprit: cookies!


Cookies go back to the early days of the World Wide Web. In 1994, developers at Netscape were trying to figure out how to make online shopping work. The website needed a way to “remember” who the customer was and what they wanted to buy. Thus, the web cookie was born.

Cookies: Delicious or Evil?

Without cookies, the internet as we know it simply would not function. There is nothing good or evil (or

yummy) about them; they are just tools.


First-party cookies• Are “set” by the website you are visiting.• Used for basic functions, such as remembering your

preferences.• Keeps track of how many times you’ve visited the

page. • Once you leave the webpage, the first-party cookie

has nothing left to do.

First-Party vs Third-Party Cookies


Third-party cookies• Are set by a different webpage than the one you are visiting. • The sources are often advertisements or widgets. • Are used to track you across multiple websites and monitor your

views, clicks, and anything else that might be relevant for marketing analysis.

• The third-party cookie can spy on you from ANY website that displays an ad or widget from the same domain that set it in the first place.

• This information is collected by the advertiser to construct a picture about who you are and what you like.

First-Party vs Third-Party Cookies


Third-Party Cookies

Blocking Third-Party CookiesFirefoxTools > Options > PrivacyUncheck "Accept third-party cookies.”

Google Chrome Settings>Advanced Settings>Privacy>Content SettingsCheck “Block third-party cookies and site data.”

Internet Explorer 11Tools > Internet Options > Privacy > AdvancedCheck “Override automatic cookie handling, and then choose “Block” under “Third-party Cookies.”

Removing Third-Party Cookies

By far the easiest way to delete third-party cookies is to use a free piece of software called CCleaner. It is a well-known, reputable program with many other useful features tuning-up your PC. And best of all, it’s FREE!

Click Download Check “Cookies” for each browser you

use Click “Analyze” and review the results Then click “Run Cleaner”

https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner



There is a more persistent cookie variety that is hard to find and remove: the “zombie cookie.” In addition to setting typical cookies, it also sets a “Flash cookie.” This cookie is stored in the Adobe® Flash directory rather than your internet browser folder.

Mutant Cookies From Beyond the Grave?


It works like this: The third-party sets two standard cookies, plus one

Flash cookie. Every time you visit a webpage, the Flash cookie

checks to make sure the standard cookies are present. If it doesn’t find them (i.e. if you have deleted the

cookies), it recreates them! The outcome of this is a cookie that can’t be deleted;

it keeps returning from “the dead,” again and again.

Mutant Cookies From Beyond the Grave?

The solution? Identify and delete the Flash cookie as well.


To destroy this undead monster, we turn once again to CCleaner. This time, click Cleaner and

select the Applications tab Then check “Adobe Flash

Player” under the Multimedia section

Click “Analyze” and “Run Cleaner” to remove the flash cookies

How to Destroy an Undead Cookie



Domain (name): The web location that your browser is pointing to.

Widget: Tiny apps embedded in a website that performs a simple function. Examples include Like, Subscribe, and social media Share buttons.

Cookie: A tiny text file stored in your browser that remembers information related to your current and/or past visits.

First-Party Cookie: A cookie set by the domain you are visiting. Third-Party Cookie: A cookie set by a different domain from

the one you’re visiting. Zombie Cookie: A cookie that “comes back to life” after you’ve

deleted it. Flash Cookie: A much larger cookie that is stored in your Flash

folder. Technically, it’s a Locally Stored Object (LSO).

Glossary


Your company's internal IT staff is great at what they do. But are those resources enough to handle all the business's

needs?

Whether you need to outsource some of the daily tasks that your experienced team is handling, or you need to quickly launch a new project, eSOZO can fill in the gaps. If you are ready to move to the cloud, need to save resources, and don’t know where to start, eSOZO can help. We can manage your IT needs on your budget and your terms. We handle the staffing and help create a consistent monthly fee to keep your budget under control.

eSOZO Computer & Network Services200 Route 31, Suite 202 • Flemington, NJ 08822

888.376.9648 • [email protected] • www.esozo.com

Contact eSOZO Today!

Read the full blog post at http://www.esozo.com/5-ways-that-you-know-its-time-to-outsource-it/.

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