{"id":476,"date":"2012-02-05T13:15:33","date_gmt":"2012-02-05T13:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/londonerfromafar.wordpress.com\/?p=476"},"modified":"2016-07-24T11:44:06","modified_gmt":"2016-07-24T10:44:06","slug":"cookies-privacy-and-other-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/cookies-privacy-and-other-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"Cookies – Privacy and Other Issues"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two un-related events are happening at the moment. Firstly, I have managed to bake some decent cookies. Yay! Secondly,\u00a0privacy issues in social media \"Coookiesare a hot topic these days. Cookies play a big role in this. The two types of cookies are quite\u00a0un-related, but both of them share the name and have turned up in conversations with friends lately. They also can be a problem in different ways.<\/p>\n

Origins<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

As a\u00a0linguist, I find it terribly interesting knowing where words come\u00a0from. That is, how they evolve in form and in meaning. According to culinary historians, the word cookie came into English from the Dutch koekje<\/em>, meaning `little cake\u00b4. They were used to test the temperature of the oven. Can you imagine?<\/p>\n

In computing, there are different versions of the origin of this name. Many people say that it comes from the\u00a0tale of a boy who would get out of\u00a0a maze following a trail of bread crumbs<\/a>.\u00a0Some others say that it refers back to the 1970\u00b4s Cookie Bear<\/a>. Xerox programmers back in the 1970\u00b4s decided to store chunks of\u00a0information on another computer. They were called `cookies\u00b4, and the action of tracing the info back to its original source was referred to as `following a trail of\u00a0cookie crumbs\u00b4.<\/p>\n

Issues<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Coookies<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

My waistline and my privacy are in danger! Horror!<\/p>\n

My friends know that I enjoy challenges, eg, living in London. Baking anything sweet is another challenge for me. Cookies never tend to be exactly<\/em> as in the\u00a0lovely small bakeries that I\u00a0like so much. But, I have recently managed to\u00a0learn to produce some decent stuff (picture on the right) – yay! So easy and quick, that I also fancy doing that too often. Hey, salads are not that interesting…<\/p>\n

In internet and in marketing, lack of user\u00b4s consent and security are big issues.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Have you ever wondered why that freaking clothes ad appears at times? Once we click on an advert, we<\/span>\u00a0`place a request\u00b4 for that cookie to be sent to your own computer from the advertiser\u00b4s web server.\u00a0<\/span>Cookies store pieces of information in the user\u00b4s computer, such as usernames and passwords which are essential to deliver these adverts.<\/p>\n

The main source of concern is the fact that the information stored in the cookie can be accessed by different web servers. This happens without consent nor notification.\u00a0<\/span>In the early days of the web, cookies were thought to make it easy when internet users wanted to access a computer or buy anything online.<\/p>\n

Security is another problem. Basically, if any given web server can have access to our data, we are essentially exposed to viruses or identity theft. People are very concerned about this. News about Facebook owning users\u00b4 data, Google+ using personal data across their various products on searches and to deliver personalised\u00a0adverts, etc. Restrictive\u00a0legislation, such as SOPA do not help matters either.<\/p>\n

I am curious as to how this matter evolves once the younger generations\u00a0lose the\u00a0distinction between being `online\u00b4and `offline\u00b4, as it will probably happen soon. The way technology is developing, we\u00a0will always be online.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Cookies!\"Solution<\/strong><\/p>\n

More salads?\u00a0De<\/span>lete cookies?\u00a0<\/span>I know I will not resist trying to bake cookies again often. So,\u00a0I am thinking about using some sort of calendar, so that I can treat or reward myself after specific events.\u00a0This is work in progress, though…<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

With regards to the internet, some protection is at hand. Users can disable cookies on individual machines, and many programmes can help you to manage this, eg, Cookie Crush, and browsers such as Maxa. Goverments have come up with pieces of\u00a0legislation about cookies and privacy<\/a>\u00a0to protect users.<\/p>\n

What are your thoughts?<\/p>\n

Don\u00b4t let issues stop you from enjoying the internet!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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