Blog #5: Internet Cookies - Spyware?

Have you ever been surfing the web and come upon Internet advertising that provides a solution for something that you’ve been researching lately? The fact is, it almost certainly wasn’t a coincidence. Behavior-based Internet advertising is a relatively new and very powerful way for advertisers to get their message in front of potential buyers that they know to be qualified.  The question is, how does it work?

To answer the question, we'd better have a brief idea of what are Internet cookies and how Internet cookies work. Basically, Internet cookies are small text files deposited on a computer hard drive when a user visits Web sites, so cookies are not program. Internet cookies identify the visitor’s Web browser software and track visits to the Web site. That means when you return to a site that has stored a cookie, the Web site software will search your computer, find the cookie, and "know" what you has done in the past. Internet cookies are sometimes mentioned as an evil and intrusive spying program that will steal your privacy on the Internet, or as a harmless device that will just make your experience with Internet better.Which assertion is right? Or they are both correct, which one is more fairly describe the Internet cookies?

The reason why you always see ads that you have been searching is because you are behavioral targeted, which is possible by the function of Internet cookies. When a consumer visits a web site, the consumer's visiting allows sites to collect that data, and create a 'profile' that links to that visitor's web browser. As a result, site publishers can use this data to create defined audience segments based upon visitors that have similar profiles. When visitors return to a specific site or a network of sites using the same web browser, those profiles can be used to allow advertisers to position their online ads in front of those visitors who exhibit a greater level of interest and intent for the products and services being offered.

So apparently there are pros and cons of internet cookies' usage. The good things are, by using some sophisticated cookies, the website servers can, to some degree, "customize" your website using and make your visiting more smoother. The bad things are your information is gathered by some companies or government, however those information may not be secret, it's always not so comfortable for at least somebody that their privacy is known by others, and your name is on a mass advertising list. What's worse, the internet cookies could be abused in several ways, an example would be: it is easy to probe through the browser and other program's data to get a general idea of what a user is doing online or where they are shopping. Likewise it will show if a user's machine has been connected to a URL that serves inappropriate content. 

The good news is you can block certain cookies, or simply delete them periodically or only after you end the browsing session. So what is your opinion towards cookies' broadly using in internet advertising? Do you want to share your Internet cookies related-experience with us, either good or bad experience? 

Sources:

http://www.spywareguide.com/articles/internet_cookies_spyware_or_ne_57.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/guides/about-cookies

http://www.mediumblue.com/newsletters/internet-advertising.html