How do websites use computer cookies?
When you visit a website, the web server places tiny bits of code from the site on your computer for future reference. Most cookies are intended to improve your Internet browsing experience by tracking what you have looked at last and attempting to customize the advertising content on the next site you view. Cookies can tell that site what you have looked at in the past and eliminate what it deems “uninteresting” to you and inserting content that may or may not be more relevant to your viewing patterns. Another common function of cookies is to reduce the time it takes to get to a site you visit often. For example, several popular web based email services such as Hotmail and Yahoo Mail require you to complete a logon and password form to enter the site. A cookie can remember your logon or your password or both so that your e-mail account will open faster or even automatically. However, cookies can also provide information about your computer to others. By collecting certain information
