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Freebies Cookie Eraser 2.0
MD5: bb1a6a1b1b58e3c89f68e9279b92398a | SHA1: 039d80380820d31555b08521f8a85d29fc1a0760
1. Get .Net Framework 1.1 from www.WindowsUpdate.com and
2. Download 
Cookie Eraser erases unwanted cookies, either automatically based on a timer or upon request. Erased cookies are logged in the non-persistent ‘Erased Cookies Log’. Cookies in safe list (persistent) are not erased.
Download Instructions
This program requires the 
Microsoft .Net framework, which allows .Net applications to run on your computer. If you do not have the .Net Framework, visit Microsoft to download it for free. The best place to get the latest version of the .Net Framework is from http://www.WindowsUpdate.com
Contents: Screenshot | What is a Cookie? | How do Cookies Work? | Bank Of America Example | Bad Cookies and Privacy | Web Beacons | Email Beacons | Opting Out | Opting Out flaws | Making Opting Out Work | What to Do | Yahoo Advertising Partners
Cookies allow a website to store information (text) on a user's machine and retrieve it later. The pieces of information are stored as name-value pairs. For example, a name and value stored in a cookie (e.g. name 'Preference' with value 'WMA') may tell the website that the user prefers Windows Media Audio over a different audio format.
For example, to identify online banking customers, Bank of America asks for a login-identifier and a pass-code. Further to identify and serve customers from California, Washington, Oregon differently the website requires the state where the account was opened. Once the state is identified, a cookie identified by “Cookie:<user>@bankofamerica.com/” stores the state along with other information. When this cookie is present in the cache, the user interface does not ask for the state information. I call these good cookies.
When you type www.bankofamerica.com in your browser, the cookie named “Cookie:<user>@bankofamerica.com/” is sent to the Bank of America web server, assuming the cookie is in the cache. The server responds with HTML, containing a dummy function that returns a hard-coded state:
function getState() {return "WA";}When the cookie named “Cookie:user@bankofamerica.com/” is not present in the computer cache and therefore cannot be sent to the Bank of America web server when you type www.bankofamerica.com in your browser, the server responds with an additional dropdown/combobox for state selection and a function similar to following to retrieve the state from dropdown/combobox and to save the cookie.
function getState() {
//Comment: Get Selected state from dropdown list
var state = document.frmSignIn.state.option
[document.frmSignIn.state.selectedIndex].value + "";
var cookieDate = new Date(); // Cookie expires in 4 years
cookieDate.setTime( cookieDate.getTime() + (1461* 24 * 3600 * 1000));
// Cookie expires in 4 years
//Comment: Now Set state in Document Cookie
document.cookie = "state=" + state + ";expires="
+ cookieDate.toGMTString() + ";path=/";
return state;
}
You have to visit a site to get a cookie from that site. E.g. when you visit http://www.dell.com a cookie "Cookie:<user>@dell.com" is created.
But, if you've been browsing sites that advertise, you may come across a cookie in your system from "doubleclick.net" even though you never visited www.doubleclick.net.
So how did you get this cookie? You visited a site that is serving Double-Click internet advertising.
An embedded 1x1 gif (Web Beacon) and html code on this site read the cookie (containing the unique identifier for you) and sent the site you visited and sites you searched to Double Click’s DART database. This allows Double-Click to serve targeted advertisements to your computer. This explains why you see MP3 players and golf related advertisements, while I see sailboats.
You may call these bad cookies, if privacy concerns you.
Reading Yahoo's Privacy statement from http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us about Cookies:
- Yahoo! may set and access Yahoo! cookies on your computer.
- Yahoo! lets other companies that show advertisements on some of our pages set and access their cookies on your computer. [!!!!]
- Other companies' use of their cookies is subject to their own privacy policies, not this one. [i.e. Yahoo's privacy statement]
- Yahoo! uses Web Beacons [!!!! from advertisers] to access Yahoo! cookies inside [within Yahoo] and outside [!!!! advertisers] our network of web sites and in connection with Yahoo! products and services. [!!!! Websites and Emails]
Also, read about the DoubleClick ad-serving cookie http://www.doubleclick.com/us/corporate/privacy/privacy/
Web beacons, are 1x1 gif images from an advertiser that match the background of the page, so you can't see them. These are used to access cookies, count your visit to a site and to report site visits, demographic and usage information to advertisers. There good cookies and then there are bad cookies.
All the HTML spam email you get may have Web Beacons embedded in them. It is very easy for spammers to tie your email address to the fact that you opened an email.
Again from the privacy statement: http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/pixels/details.html
- Yahoo!'s practice is to include web beacons in HTML-formatted email messages (messages that include graphics) that Yahoo! itself sends in order to determine which email messages were opened and to note whether a message was acted upon. [!!!!]
http://www.networkadvertising.org/ allows to Opt Out of this online preference marketing service. Essentially they place a cookie on your system identifying you as some one who has opted out (ID=OPT_OUT) instead of a unique identifier.
In my opinion, Opting out from advertising cookies does not really work.
- According to the Netscape developer documents, there are limitations on the number of cookies that a client can store at any one time. This limit is 300 cookies. When the 300 cookie limit is exceeded, clients can delete the least recently used cookie to keep the count 300. In other words every 300th cookie creating site you visit after opting out would end up causing your browser to delete your opt-out cookie.
- Every time you call tech support for any software (or hardware) issue, the first thing you are told is to clear your internet cache. Doing so also removes your OPT-OUT cookie.
- You delete the OPT-OUT cookies every time you delete cookies. How often do you delete cookies?
- If you ever delete this "opt-out cookie" from your browser, you'll need to opt out again.
- If you ever buy a new computer, you'll need to opt out again.
- In addition, if you use multiple browsers on the same or different computers you will need to opt out separately for each browser.
- It's only when the network advertiser can read an "opt-out" cookie on your browser that it can know you have decided not to participate.
Email Beacons, Web beacons, Cookies etc. are simple technology and do not assume other sites are not using it. Delete your cookies frequently so these sites are forced to give you new unique identifiers.
Turn off HTML email from Yahoo and other you know send Web Beacons.
Delete SPAM without opening.
Delete Cookies frequently.
Since my opinion is exactly that, and if you think Opt Out Cookies is the way to go, follow these instructions that let you use this program to Opt Out and stay opted out!
From http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/adservers/details.html
When I got this information, Yahoo! has relationships with the following third-party ad networks:
- Advertising.com, Inc.
- Atlas DMT, a division of Avenue A, Inc.
- Bidclix, Inc.
- Bluestreak, Inc.
- Centrport
- Click2Boost.com, Inc.
- Click Experts S.A.
- Cossette Media (adcentriconline.com)
- DoubleClick, Inc.
- Dynamic Logic
- EyeWonder, Inc.
- FastClick.com, Inc.
- Klipmart Corporation
- Mediaplex, Inc.
- ORB, Inc.
- Poindexter Systems
- PointRoll, Inc.
- QuickFlicks, Inc.
- Rank You
- SME Global Solutions, Inc.
- Targetnet, Inc.
- ValueClick, Inc.
- Video Banner
- Vita Bella, LLC
- WebConnect, Inc.
- X10 Wireless Technology, Inc.
- Zedo, Inc.
(c) Dickey Buvdeep Singh,
Selective Internet Cache Cookie Eraser based on adjustable timer.
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