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Spyware Cookies
Many people today have heard about spyware and how it does
everything from tracking web surfing habits and producing an
inordinate amount of pop up advertisements to actually stealing
vital personal information without a computer user's awareness.
However, a question related to this is that of spyware cookies: are
they the same thing?
For years people have found cookies to be bothersome by their very
nature. Not truly software, cookies are data 'particles' which web
sites and advertising windows utilize to keep track of web surfing
activity. They are, in effect, a form of computer short-term memory.
This is exemplified by the "shopping cart" used in online purchases
-thus a tally of multiple items being purchased.
While spyware cookies are often thought of as synonymous, the truth
is that they are anything but this. While they do function in some
minor similar ways, their uses are extremely different. For example,
cookies are not covertly sent to computers connected to the
internet. Nor are they surreptitiously embedded in other software,
such as the duplicitous "Trojan Horse" spyware. As well, as opposed
to spyware cookies are usually set by a website editor for the
purpose of helping, rather than hindering a person at his or her
website.
However, there is one instance in which the term "spyware cookies"
could be accurate. This is when cookies are used as consumer
tracking devices. This allows an advertiser to know exactly what
sorts of products a person tends to purchase, as well as which
specific brands. With this knowledge true spyware can be put into
place (if the consumer is unsuspecting), though of no fault of the
cookies themselves, thus directing advertisements and even whole
websites to the user, without his or her consent (and often to the
tune of great annoyance).
To make matters worse, if said spyware is indeed installed, the
Orwellian scenario grows. If a person wishes to view the
advertisement of a specific merchant, often subsequent spyware will
block these ads, covering them with the advertisements of competing
companies. It goes without saying that this is a highly unethical
business practice.
Once again, it should be reiterated that cookies themselves are not
the culprit, while spyware is entirely culpable.
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