I'm doing a report, textual analysis, of an authority website and I was wondering what you know about cookies, accepting them, their function and how they are generally perceived by visitors. You know the classical " This website will function better if you accept cookies". What does it really mean? What becomes better once you accepted the cookies and what could possibly become worse if not accepting them. Functionality aside, if there actually exist an improvement of it once acceptance is made, this also has psychological undertones. It can be perceived as a threat: "if you don't accept cookies you don't trust us and we will track your ip and hunt you down". Since it's an authority webpage there could/should? be tracking of visitors and their history of navigation through a site. It can also be reassuring for unsecure visitors to make this approval of confidence, perhaps makes them feel safer, less at risk for making a faulty impression, or application. Well, this was just a sidenote on what I'm writing. I googled "psychological function of cookies" but got no good hits from that. You got any comments, ideas, you know, whatev...Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Yes. Computer forum. I like the question though. Ever since Microsoft innovated and patented the persistent super-cookie, I've been riding the 'show cookies' and 'delete cookies' functions. Browser manufacturers are simply too stupid or ignorant of consumer's ideas about what constitutes fair use of their data about searches, purchases, inadvertent clicks or whatever. When you are online and inadvertently or otherwise hit a link to a prescription drug you need, you will also be connected to the list of potential customers for online illicit narcotics and Viagra/ciaaaalis sales together with criminal trial attorneys who specialize in defending such cases. If you access your bank, your cookies provide information about you to dozens of online gambling casinos. If your account number has been phished, bets can be automatically placed and revenues sucked directly from available funds where you bank and beyond. If, G-d forbid, you hit a link to online pornography, your cookies will be used to customize your browsing experience by creating a faked profile for you on dozens of both straight and gay online dating and private investigating services. The info for private investigating services will be emailed to your spouse if they are able to find an email address for them. With cookies, this should not present much of a problem. How do you like what cookies can do for you so far? Is this supposed to improve our lives, or simply our online browsing experiences? Gawd, business has just never been so good. Cookies might produce more paranoia if they weren't so good at what they do. Most people don't give a second thought about sharing sensitive information with advertisers, or whomever. So tasty.
Cookies are pieces of information, that are recorded, about your visit to a web site. Collecting cookies is sort of analogous to you meeting someone, striking up a conversation and learning about them, so the next time you meet, you are up to steam earlier. Cookies track things so the next visit is more tailored to you and where you left off. On the other hand, say you meet someone, who you don't like and/or would like to avoid. Cookies can also record things so the next time you visit, you are being harassed and annoyed by adds, marketeers and suggestions. It all depends on your style of shopping and learning. If you like to be catered to and/or like help, cookies are good. If you prefer to explore and learn on your own, without being harassed by sales people, cookies can make you a target to where you lose your anonymity.
But those cookies don't know what way you think so they just attach themselves to anything you do. If there were a way to prevent them from attaching themselves to anyone that would be a better way to go. But alas those cookies just keep hanging on like a dingle berry.
So what would you say is the purpose of cookies on government sites? Other than recording your ip and track you down, is there another purpose than espionage on the population that visits those sites? A persons internet history can so easily be traced and used for whatever purpose, most of them commercial for sure, but when it's not commercial? What is the purpose of cookies on a police website? To "enhance your surfing experience"? How would they customize your next visit to better suit your purposes, where is the enhancement of the websites functions?
Some cookies are quite useful. If a web site requires a sign in, then a cookie could retain information so that visits after the first don't require a sign in. All the forums (including this one) that I participate in have this feature.
A website is typically a "stateless" process. Meaning that every time you click anything a brand new connection is established. So that they don't have to ask who you are every time you do anything, they store a session id in a cookie and use that to help track your navigation through the site. It just makes the experience appear more seamless. It's usually nothing to worry about.
