Cookies

As a member of the Panasonic forum for over 10 years, I guess that kind of makes me a geek. (is that term even used anymore?)
During the last install of Windows 10 there was an option about cookies and I chose to reject third party cookies from sites and then thought that was enough to protect my computer.
The last time I logged onto the Formula One website a widow popped up that required that I accept or manage cookies from thier site. I chose to manage cookies.
This took me to a list of hundreds of sites that thought they had the right to infest my computer with with thier snooping software that most people don't even think about. Some of the sites wanted me to give them permission to stay on my computer for as long as 10 years.
As you are the smartest bunch people in any forum that I am a member of I decided to come here and ask;
Am I overthinking what I should allow to run on my computer?
Should I even care?
What do you do about cookies on your personal computer.
If you choose to reply this question, Thank You.
To the rest of you that are here at least think about it.
Bob

 

Think of cookies as individual serial numbers assigned to your browser. Cookies are not and do not execute programs. For example, Google ad words on on almost every website around along with a pixel beacon. These 2 things are the reason if you do a search for dog toys on a website outside of Google.com you will end up seeing targeted ads for dog toys and related items for the next several days.

 

steve is right, cookies are your end of a basic tracking mechanism. Third party cookies allow everyone (whose site you used) to track you most other places, generating a stream of data they use and sell, mostly for marketing. Turning off 3rd party does not seem to interfere with much for me. Turning off all cookies breaks most interactive sites.

There is no privacy for us in the US, and only slightly more control of personal data in the EU. Note that NBR is not a "secure" site. Very hard to have any fun on-line without being tracked, analyzed, packaged, and sold by all the free apps we like.

It is possible to build highly secure Linux (or Windows) systems, but typically those are special purpose not for browsing the open Internet. If you use the Internet, you're fair game.

I've given up on having much privacy, just keep a low profile and hope my boring habits do not attract any nefarious attention.

 

Set your browser to delete cookies and temp files on close. Or write a script to clear out those folders daily.
End of the day, there is $ in tracking people internet browsing to sell advertising.
You can try to secure your browser all you want but it doesn't matter. If your a webmaster and want to play in Google sandbox then you have to install adword scripts in your website along with beacons to have any search engine placement within Google. Unfortunately our government doesn't see Google as a monopoly. Perhaps we need older leaders and judges that a more computarded to make more laws.

 

First off I don't want or need leaders to write more laws to control my computer and a judges job is not to write laws but to make sure the laws we have are constitutional.
We have enough people trying to control us, we don't need more.

 

There will always be more people trying to control you, me, and everything else. Unbridled capitalism is inherently abusive. Freedom and privacy can only be enforced by strong governments that are (mostly) controlled by their people. I am no fan of big government or its regulations, but I don't know what else might be strong enough now to stand up to Big Tech.

 

Big tech is above the government and laws at this time

 

What web browser are you using?

I see those popup's all the time. I still use firefox.

I currently run Ghostery, Adblock Plus and Ublock origin as browser addon's along with a few others. When those popup come up asking about cookies in the way. I can then simply right click and block it just like any other spam I don't want to see.

I also have NoScript but it's very aggressive. I leave it off but can click it on anytime I need it.

Right click enabler that allows me to right click on anyweb page.

Facebook container is another one I use that blocks all the stuff that facebook uses to track you.

Behind the overlay is another older one I use from time to time but I don't currently have it active, just switched off.

 

Or if you are using firefox this may be just what you want.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fi...la.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=search

 

This is setup I use.I see very few ads and almost zero hounding me about cookies.

Firefox.
Adblock Plus
Right click enabler
webmail ad blocker
I don't care about cookies

 

I haven’t used webmail ad blocker, but I am guessing one of the other I have hooked up blocks those ad’s on my email and Facebook.

also if you haven’t used it Firefox it has Facebook container tab option and regular container tab option. So all data collected stays on that page amd can’t be tracked past that page.

 

Thanks to all of you,,
Looks like I will be going back to Firefox

 

Once in a while I will get a site that is broken when using Ad blocker plus.
If you hit the taskbar button you can disable it for that page or the entire site.

I think the I don't care about cookies just eliminates the nag screens. I think the cookies are still there.

Both of these do make a much more pleasant browsing experience.