Posts Tagged ‘privacy’

Reclaim Some Privacy: 3rd-party Cookies

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Which sites are Facebook and Google tracking you on? It could be any.

Each time you visit a site that implements either Facebook’s or Google’s widgets (Like button, AdSense) or traffic monitoring (Analytics), you are exposing your browsing history. It’s like a credit card company knowing your shopping habits by tracking your purchases. Unlike with credit cards, you can do something about it.

One small step to reclaim your privacy is by disabling 3rd party cookies in your browser. Doing this prevents your browser from sending your information to a site other than the one you’re visiting. Here’s how you do it.

Google Chrome

  • Select Chrome > Preferences on the menu bar.
  • Click the Under the Hood tab.
  • Click Content settings in the “Privacy” section.
  • Check Block all third-party cookies without exception

Firefox

http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Disabling+third+party+cookies

Safari or Opera

You’re in luck, 3rd party cookies are disabled by default.

Internet Explorer

By disabling 3rd party cookies, you’re taking back some control over your privacy.