Cookies ?

[puffy]

I got back to my computer this morning after being away for 2 weeks.I started checking forums one told me the following..All of their data has been corrupted and I should register again.It also said that they use cookies to store information on my computer.I have no clue what cookies are.Now I'm wondering if it's safe to go on that site again.Any opinions would be appreciated.

 

[eaglerico]

Cookies is a technical term for an information packet that websites can download to your computer. They help the site load faster the next time you visit. They can also store information for you like you login information or viewing history. Unfortunately, as with all things, people found a way to use this to their advantage and started using cookies to track people and to install viruses. This is why you got the warning. If you trust the site then download the cookie.
If you talking about another forum in the UK, they were hacked and everything was lost. There were some threads notifying everyone here to resign up and after sufficient time they were taken down, due to them being the competition and all. (Common business sense.)
Hope this helps , and welcome back.

 

[phred]

One example of a cookie is the "Remember Me" option on this site's login area - checking that box creates a cookie with your login and password info for this site, so that you don't have to enter it every time. Websites that accept payments often have an option to save credit card data for future purchases - that's another legit business use for cookies.
Convenience can have its downside, though - and if the data stored in those cookies is exposed to people who don't have legitimate purposes (identity thieves, for example), bad things can happen. Usually not a problem, but this is why antivirus software is so important...
Internet browsers have ways to clear out cookies as needed, usually under security settings or user preferences,

 

[plateauguy]

I thought we were going to share recipes - damn!

 

[phil22]

Me too Plateauguy. I was expecting cookie recipes with maybe an aromatic tobacco.

 

[nachman]

Browsers have ways to restrict cookies. I have mine set not to accept third party cookies, that is cookies which do not relate to the site you are visiting. This prevents someone from loading you down with advertising and tracking cookies. You can also set a browser to delete cookies at the end of each session.

 

[admin]

99.99% of websites use cookies and 99.99% of cookies are completely harmless.
This site uses cookies.
We have our own cookie for the "Remember Me" option, like Phred said.
We have 2 third party cookies for understanding where our traffic comes from and who our visitors are. This is quite common. Every commercial site does this and it is harmless. No personally identifiable information is collected.
That last part isn't totally true for ALL sites though. It's an often, and currently debated topic in the digital publishing and advertising world.

 

[crazypipe]