August 1, 2009

Cookies That are Not So Sweet: New Tactics for Selling Online

Cookies are the names given to small software applications that are stored on web users' computers when they visit many commercial websites. Cookies are often placed on users' computers without their permission or knowledge. These software applications do not limit there surveillance of users to the time that they are on a company's website or to a session (i.e.until the web browser is closed or the computer is turned off). Cookies can remain activity for days, weeks, months or years and routinely report back to companies on user activity. Marketers are now collecting individual web user cookie information and merging it with off-line sources of information (income, education, marital status, etc) to change what is presented to visitors that come to their web sites. Customers looking for bargains, may only see items at the highest cost that a company feels it can charge based on a cookie supported consumer profile. In other news, the Federal government is reconsidering its ban on the use of cookies and is seeking public comments.

Ads Follow Web Users, and Get More Personal , STEPHANIE CLIFFORD, New York Times, July 30, 2009