Internet Cookies: What They Are and How to Get Rid of Them

If you are a more or less experienced Internet user, you have probably heard the term "Internet cookies" or simply "cookies." Perhaps you have also heard that it is recommended to periodically get rid of them, deleting them from your computer. So what are these cookies, how do they get into your computer, and how can you delete them?

Simply put, Internet cookies are pieces of information that are placed in your computer when you visit websites. In more technical terms, cookies are small files that are being downloaded on your hard drive as you surf the Internet. This is done by the websites you visit to identify you, as a user, and monitor what you do - what pages you open, what products you look at, etc. It is very similar to those discount cards you can get at some stores: when you shop with the card, your purchases are being recorded and your buying habits monitored. The store will later on process the gathered info and use it for its own purposes - advertising, better stocking shelves, etc. Similarly, website owners want to know what areas of their website are more visited, what products / features generate more interest from users, and which ones need to be improved.

Just like some shoppers dislike their buying habits being monitored, some Internet surfers are understandably concerned about their browsing habits being watched and recorded, especially since the "recording" is done through storing files on their own computer. Some people believe that cookies can scan their hard drive and gather personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers, or even damage other files and programs on the computer. That is not true. While there are programs capable of such things (called spyware and computer viruses), Internet cookies do not fall into that category. They are text files, not programs, and therefore are not able to do anything on your computer except being stored there.

If you sill wish to protect yourself from Internet cookies being placed on your hard drive, you have several options. First, you can set your Internet browser not to accept cookies. However, doing this will affect your Internet browsing and especially online shopping. Many online services require the use of cookies, you simply cannot make purchases without it, so you will have to turn cookies on again if you wish to buy something.

Another option is installing a cookie blocking software. Such software works with your Internet browser, telling it which sites can send you cookies and which cannot (you will determine that). For example, if you want to accept cookies from one specific shopping site you know and trust and no one else, you can set the browser to do so.

And if you wish to get rid of the cookies already stored on your hard drive, here are two ways to do it (for PC users; I haven't worked with Macs). The first one is through Internet Explorer: open the Internet Explorer program, click on Tools, then select Internet Options; from there, go to Temporary Internet Files and delete cookies. The other way is to click Start on your taskbar (lower left corner of the screen), select Run, and then type "cookies" in the text box that pops up; after clicking OK you will be taken to the folder where your cookies are stored. From there, you can delete them manually. Of course, as you continue to browse the Internet, more cookies will be downloaded and stored on your computer, so the cleaning procedure needs to be repeated once in a while.