Cookies: What they are; why you are in charge Close window
A Cookie is:
A very small text file placed on your hard drive by a Web Page server. It is essentially your identification card, and cannot be executed as code or deliver viruses. It is uniquely yours and can only be read by the server that gave it to you.
A Cookie's Purpose is:
To tell the server that you returned to that Web page.
How a Cookie Helps You:
It saves you time. If you personalise pages, or register for products or services, a cookie helps the website remember who you are. Next time you return, it knows to show you the information you requested.
If You Want to Control Which Cookies You Accept:
You can order your browser to accept all cookies or to alert you every time a cookie is offered. Then you can decide whether to accept one or not.
    If you're using Internet Explorer 6.0 and 7.0 and above:
    1. Choose Tools, then
    2. Internet Options.
    3. Click the Privacy tab,
    4. Click the Advanced Button.
    5. On the Advanced Privacy Settings choose the options you prefer.
    A first-party cookie is one that either originates on or is sent to the Web site you are currently viewing. A third-party cookie is one that either originates on or is sent to a different Web site than the one you are currently viewing. A session or temporary cookie is stored only for your current browsing session, and is deleted from your computer when you close Internet Explorer. Some modern sites will ONLY work with Session cookies Enabled.
    If you're using Mozilla Firefox:
    1. Choose "Tools" from the top menu
    2. Select "Options"
    3. Select the "Privacy" tab,
    4. Look in the second panel and adjust your cookie settings as desired
    If you're using Internet Explorer 5.0:
    1. Choose Tools, then
    2. Internet Options.
    3. Click the Security tab,
    4. Click Internet, then Custom Level.
    5. Scroll down to Cookies and choose one of the two options.
    If you're using Internet Explorer 4.0:
    1. Choose View, then
    2. Internet Options.
    3. Click the Advanced tab,
    4. Scroll down to the yellow exclamation icon under Security and choose one of the three options to regulate your use of cookies.
    Internet Explorer 3.0
    On your Task Bar, click:
    1. View, then
    2. Options, then
    3. Advanced, then
    4. View Files
    Netscape Communicator 4.0:
    Netscape bundles all cookies into one file on your hard drive. You'll need to find the file, which it calls Cookie.txt on Windows machines.
How to See the Code in a Cookie:
Just click on a cookie to open it. You'll see a short string of text and numbers. The numbers are your identification card, which can only be seen by the server that gave you the cookie.
Warning - Do not use cookies on shared machines.
If you share your computer with other users and you save your login to a cookie, then everyone else who accesses this website from your computer will automatically login as yourself. The consequence of this is that they will see your contact details and not their own. It is therefore important not to select "save login" under these circumstances.
For more information about cookies, see Internet Explorer Help.
Close window