What is a cookie?
A cookie is a small text file sent to your computer by a website's computer (the
server). Some cookies expire and vanish from your computer when you exit
the site that set them. Some are persistent cookies that remain on your
computer's hard drive for a predetermined time (say, 14 days) or, in some cases,
for much longer (say, until you purge all cookies from your hard drive).
Are cookies used for spying? Are
they an invasion of privacy?
In the early days of the Internet, cookies got a pretty bad rap, and many
misconceptions about cookies persist. Therefore, it is important to note that
the vast majority of cookies do nothing more than session tracking.
That is, they tell a website that a user visited the site, clicked through to
certain pages, stayed for a certain amount of time, etc. The website and its
owners never know any personal information about the user, only that someone
visited certain pages. Cookies are used in this fashion to monitor traffic so
that the website owners know which pages get used, which pages get ignored, and
the like. Feedback from this process helps site owners tailor and improve their
sites.
After session tracking, probably the next
most common function cookies serve is to help make Web browsing more convenient
for the user. For example, if you go to your favorite online store, the site
might display a message that seems tailored to you: "Welcome back, Jane Doe."
When you purchase an item, the site may "remember" your shipping address from
the last time you ordered. An example from our own site: if you
create and account during the check out phase of the
order process you will not have to type in your personal information each
time you
order from Circle KB Inc. -- thanks to a cookie, which
stores this information for you, and feeds the data to our website when you
visit.
You will however need to use your password which is your unique thumbprint that
no one else shares or can determine. Setting up an individual account however
is not required to order products from Circle KB Inc.
What sort of information does a
cookie contain?
Your internet service provider, operating system, browser type, screen
resolution and number of colors, CPU type, your internet service provider's
server, your IP address, and what server you were on last. Other information can
be added to a cookie, but only information that you give to the site that's
setting the cookie. Cookies don't contain truly sensitive data like credit card
numbers.
Who uses cookies?
Most major sites on the web, including search engines, commercial sites, and
non-profit sites. Many sites would be inconceivable without cookies, like free
email providers or online stores that remember who you are so you don't have to
re-type your address information each time you buy.
Why use cookies?
As mentioned above, cookies provide a range of services from helping Web site
owners monitor traffic and usage on their sites to making online shopping easier
for customers to remembering passwords. Cookies are
also used to gather and store data like user hardware and software
specifications (so, for example, a Web site owner can be assured that their
online movie will work for you).
How are cookies used by the
Circle KB Inc?
We use cookies to count the traffic on our website and to determine what sort of
information or web
pages are most attractive to the visitor. We do
not pass on any of this information to other businesses or
organizations.
Can cookies be used to view the
private contents of my computer?
No. Cookies cannot be used to view data on your computer. Cookies cannot be used
to "go get stuff" from elsewhere on your computer, and cookies cannot change or
delete files from your computer. Also: cookies are not computer viruses!
How long does a cookie stay on my
computer?
That depends on the cookie -- it is predetermined by the website owners, and an
expiration is built into the cookie. For example, many sites use a "session"
cookie, which is set when you enter the site and expires when you terminate the
"session" by leaving the site or by staying for a certain amount of time on one
webpage without clicking anything. These sites are typically using this cookie
to track which pages you visit. Cookies are said to be "persistent" when they
have no built in expiration -- for example, a commerce site wants to let you
come back and be remembered even if it's been three years since you last bought
something from them, so they may set a persistent cookie.
Can anyone else access the cookie
information from the
Circle KB Inc. site?
No. Other servers cannot read cookie files placed on your computer by our
server. Likewise, our server cannot read cookies from other servers.
How can I avoid cookies?
You can set your browser's preferences or options to reject all cookies, but
know that doing so means you will probably not be able to utilize the features
of some websites -- in some cases, key features, like an online store's shopping
cart. Much of the Circle KB Inc. website is not
cookie-dependent, but there are a few sections that are like our
shopping cart and our affiliate sales
network providers.
You can set your browser to prompt or
"warn" you each time a server tries to set a cookie on your computer. While
theoretically you'll then be able to decide on a case-by-case basis which
cookies you want to accept and which you want to reject, being prompted for each
cookie is liable to make your web browsing highly inconvenient. For a smooth
browsing experience on modern websites, it's recommended to enable cookies in
your browser.
Read the Circle KB
Inc. Privacy Policy Here
