Internet Cookies: Changing Internet Use and Privacy

1
Internet Cookies Changing Internet Use
and Privacy

• Lindsay Maidment
• Katherine Hollander
• November 8, 2006

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Why talk about Cookies?

• We wanted to choose a topic that we did not know
  much about
• As a technologically advanced generation, we use
  the internet virtually everyday
• Read about DoubleClick Inc. and its business
  tactics

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Which best describes an internet cookie?

• A) A hacker breaks into your computer and looks
  at your files.
• B) The telephone number that dials into an online
  service.
• C) Files downloaded onto your computer that track
  your online habits.
• D) I have no idea.

4
Business Week Survey

• A) Hacker 6
• B) Phone number 4
• C) Tracking file 75
• D) Didnt know 15

This survey was a telephone survey of 1,014
randomly selected adults between March 2 and
March 6 of 2000, by Harris Interactive.
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Knowing the Basics

• In the Business Week survey in 2000, only 40 of
  the randomly selected knew what an internet
  cookie was.

This survey was a telephone survey of 1,014
randomly selected adults between March 2 and
March 6 of 2000, by Harris Interactive.
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What is a cookie?

• A text file which a website can store on its
  visitors hard drives
• Made up of numbers and letters
• Generally, cookies are a simple ID file
• Sometimes they can store more complicated
  information
• Also called name-value pairs

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Whats the point?

• Sites use cookies to
• Track number of visitors
• First timers vs. returning visitors
• How often the user visits the site
• Why?
• Frequent Buyer example
• from Advertisers

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Where are cookies?

• You can find cookie files on your hard drive,
  your C drive.

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Mmmm! cookies

• They remember usernames for various sites that
  require log-in
• Also have the option to remember your passwords
  for you!
• They allow you to shop as you browse via online
  shopping carts!
• Cookies provide user customization of sites, like
  weather.com msn.com

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Bittersweet the problems

• Multiple users on the same hard drive
• Family computer, internet cafes
• Credit card fraud
• Easily erasable
• Throw off sites total counts
• Can contain spyware!
• Can pass on personal information without users
  permission (email address, phone number, credit
  card number, etc.)

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DoubleClick Inc.

• Developed cookie program that can follow and save
  user internet browsing
• Such cookie files are saved into text profiles
• Profiles can be extensive and detailed
• Serves over 200 billion ads per month

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Benefits of DoubleClick

• Advertisers!
• Allows internet advertisers to place their ads on
  sites or pages which will reach their target
  audiences
• Online Shoppers!
• Can provide easy access to interesting products
  without the hassle of a long search
• Jeans Example

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Doubts behind Doubleclick

• Announced plan to link anonymous cookie profiles
  to personal user information without users
  permission.
• Invasion of privacy! (In depth look at
  DoubleClick litigation)
• DoubleClick planned to turn around and sell the
  comprehensive profiles to other companies.
• Spam Spyware can be found within cookie files
  without users knowledge.
• Samantha Jones example

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Life without cookies

• Many sites are heavily dependent on cookies and
  may not function well without them
• Some may not function at all
• Erasing cookies prevents visitors from making use
  of certain amenities sites offer

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Questions? Or Comments?