Cookies in web

N.K.Assumi (Querist) 02 September 2008 This query is : Resolved
Are cookies used in the web legal?

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VIKAS GARG (Expert) 02 September 2008
hey i also heard a lot about cookies on internet. Even i m designing a website and during the working of it and it is mandatory to keep active the cookies. But i don't understand what cookies really are?
how they work? how they intrude our privacy?
Could you please tell me these things?

Adv.Shine Thomas (Expert) 02 September 2008
Web cookies are simply bits of software placed on your computer when you browse websites.Websites use cookies so they can track what you are viewing and the website will recognize your computer when you come back to visit again.Cookies are not a computer program.They are simple pieces of data unable to performe any operation by themselves.They are not spyware or viruses.They are not illegal.
Cookies are usefull eg.when you log on to certain sits,when you return again you do not have to sign on the next time.That is becouse it stored your password and ID on your computer in a cookie.Modern browsers allow users to decide whether to accept cookies,but rejection makes some website unusable.

VIKAS GARG (Expert) 03 September 2008
Thanks for giving us such a valuable information. I will further pursue the matter and discuss with you. You told me particular website track what we view but i want to know whether particular website track information only about its own website or of all website i visit on my computer.

Adv.Shine Thomas (Expert) 06 September 2008
Dear Vikas Garg,
A cookie is a small text file stored by a particular web site on your computer to keep track of information about your browising on that site,and they donot get all other site information that you visit on your computer.

VIKAS GARG (Expert) 06 September 2008
thanks mr. shine..one more query:

do that website can track my ip address through cookies?

Srinivas.B.S.S.T (Expert) 07 September 2008
I dont know much about the internet and related technical aspects but every time i visit a web site i see a note that your IP address is registered for security purpose. So alomost all websites including our forum are storing IP addresses of the users. Correct me if I am wrong.

Adv.Shine Thomas (Expert) 08 September 2008
Yes,it is correct.

Adv.Shine Thomas (Expert) 08 September 2008
While downloading pages require the server holding them to know the IP address of the computer running the browser or the proxy if any is used.This information is available for the server to be stored regardless of whether cookies are used or not.
Tracking by IP address can be impossible with some system because computers and proxies may be shared by several users and the same computer may be assigned different IP address in different work sessions.IP addresses are less reliable in identifying a user than cookies