What is a tracking cookie?

Question

I scanned my computer with the AVG and it says in the warning section that I have tracking cookies. I always run CCleaner before I shut down my computer, and it doesn't delete those.

Are they harmful? Will it matter if I delete them or not? Can they steal personal information through them? How can I delete them?

Thanks a lot in advance!! :]

Answer 1

A tracking cookie is a cookie that tracks your browsing behaviors. Marketers use this data to understand how users use their partner websites and optimize their networks for the average user that visits their networks.

Some people hate cookies, claim they’re spyware, and always delete them. Personally, we’re not exactly worried about them: unless you’ve shared your personal information, the tracking cookies are only going to report browsing habits which helps generate a bunch of marketing statistic.

Really, we think the only time you need to worry about cookies is when you’re on a public computer - like at school or an Internet cafe. In this instance, you should clear the cookies after you’re done so any stored information - such as login information - will not be stored on that computer.

Answer 2

Tracking cookies are small files that web sites use to track where you go on the internet. They're generally harmless, but you should still probably rid yourself of them regularly if you're concerned about the privacy issue.

If you're using Internet Explorer, you can set your cookie preferences under

Tools -> Internet Options -> Privacy (tab)

If you delete their folder, I'm pretty sure IE will just recreate it anyway.

Important Edit: Not all cookies are tracking cookies. If you block all cookies, some web functionality will be blocked to you. For instance, Short-Media uses a cookie to keep you logged in between visits. This type of cookie just stores information about your login here that is only accessible by this site and doesn't do anything else (e.g. it does not 'track' you or do anything else you wouldn't want it to do). If you block all cookies, you would not be able to stay logged in here between browser sessions. This applies to most other sites you log in to as well.