Question

Subject : professional ethics in computing

5. How could “cookies” created by a Web server affect a computer user’s privacy?

Answer 1

Question 5 :

Solution:

Cookies :-

Cookie is a small piece of data or small text file.Hence we can say that Cookies are not programs.When user visit a website,It is stored in visitor's computer or device by the browser.Cookies help the web developers to provide their site in a customized way for each user according to their user's previous history or visit to the site.Cookies helps to identify the visitors and to provide them a personalized experience on visiting the site according to the user's taste or action.

When a user visit a site for the first time,the cookie will get stored in their computer or mobile.On next time visit,using the cookie stored in the device it will showcase a new window according to the user's taste.
Suppose,we are login to a site and forgot to log out,when we visit the next time,actually we don't need to re-login,because the data needed you to login the site will be stored in the cookie itself.So,the site make use of it.Cookie will be used to identify information redaring all about the user, about their likes and dislikes,habits etc..

Cookies are very useful in ecommerce industry.Ecommerce site make use of the cookies to make a virtual shopping cart for each user,hence it will be helpful in online shopping and all.For example when we visit a shopping site and viewed a particular product and just went out of the site.After some time, when we browse on some other sites,we can see the same product that he or she visited appear in the site.The user is targeted using the ads.Hence he/she may visit the site again by clicking the ads and therefore a chance to purchase the item.

Some of the cookies are listed below :-

1.session cookies
Session cookies or transient cookies exists when the user visit the site and these cookies are get deleted when the visitor closing the browser.So it is not harmful cookies,because it storing data temporarily.
  
2.Persistent cookies
Persistent cookies(tracking cookies) are used for collecting user information.These cookies have a life span and they will get expired after the time.

3.Secure cookies
These cookies are more secure.because they are encrypted to prevent the attack from hackers.

4.Third-party cookies
Third-party cookies are mainly used by advertising sites for collecting user information and browsing history,for showing targeted ads to users.

Major usage of cookies are :-

1. Cookies are useful in personalized user experience - This will helps in targeting visitors with specific ads.Also helpful in providing a customized site according to the viewing history of the user.

2.Tracking user behavioural pattern - Ecommerce site can track the users actions according to the viewing history and previous purchase, by make use of these cookies.This will help the sites to suggest an item to the viewer or recommend some other products along with the product they viewed.This will enhance the possibility of purchasing that particular item by the user.

3.We can manage sessions using cookies -That means, cookies will help the site to identify the user or allow them to login to the site without reentering uername or password even if the session is not expired.

• How could cookies created by a web server affect a user's privacy?

Actually in some extend,cookies are useful and on the other hand it may be curse.

Third-party cookies are used to track/collect information regarding users or stealing personal data of the user.This is actually done by without any authorization.This will be a threat to use's online privacy.actally the third party cookie is not really meant for improving user browsing experience but it is tracking all the actions of the users across the sites to build a profile for the user according to the browsing history.

Some malware and viruses can also behave like Internet cookies in system.Probably it will be from a malicious site.As a result,our account will be hacked and a third person can use our information for some other purpose with a fake login into the site using our credentials.

How to increase online privacy?

we can boost our online privacy and protect our pesonal information by make use of the following steps:-

1. clear browser cookies frequently - we can manually delete or clear the browser cookies from browser settings page.

2.Use browser's in incognito mode - this will help to prevent storing of internet cookies and browsing history.

3.By using a Virtual Private Network -this will help to prevent profiling of browsing preference

Now we are moving to a future without cookies.Advertising industry is now forced to move on without third party cookies.Hence without cookies, it will really affect the field of advertising and ecommerce markets.On navigating to cookieless world, It may difficult to the advertisers to make an effective personalized user experience.Already doing reaserch on this area to overcome the situation.However we can hope a future with better marketing strategies along with no compromise in user privacy.