Cookies

A cookie is a small information file that a Web site puts on your hard drive in order to remember something about you later. Typically, a cookie keeps track of your preferences when using a particular site. By using cookies, an on-line store like Amazon can keep track of what items you have placed in your shopping cart as you surf the site.

If you'd like, you can view the cookies on your hard drive. The location of the cookies however, generally depends on your browser. Internet Explorer stores each cookie as a separate file under a Windows subdirectory, whereas Opera stores them in a single cookies.dat file.

In Internet Explorer, you can delete cookies by clicking on "Tools," scrolling down to "Internet Options," and clicking "Delete Cookies." Any website that requires cookies will simply replace them.

An Internet site will generally use one of the two following types of cookies:

Session cookies
Session cookies are stored on you hard drive only during the time that you are at a particular site. They are automatically deleted when you terminate your session. A website will use session cookies to assist with navigation by remembering what pages a user has already visited, or whether or not a user has logged-in to the site. Secure Florida uses session cookies.
Persistent cookies
Persistent cookies store your personal preferences on your computer for an extended period of time. Most browsers will allow you to configure how long you would like to keep persistent cookies. If a malicious hacker were to gain access to your computer, they may be able to gather personal information about you from stored persistent cookies.

It may be a good idea to consider adjusting your privacy and security settings to block or limit cookies in your web browser. In Internet Explorer, you can get to both of these settings by clicking on "Tools," and selecting "Internet Options." The "Privacy" and "Security" tabs appear at the top of the options menu.

For more information on cookies, visit this cookie summary, prepared by Microsoft.