is it bad to delete cookies on the computer?

Question

so this is maby dumb question but is it bad to delete cookies and what are cookies

Answer 1

Internet cookies are small pieces of information in text format that are downloaded to your computer when you visit many Web sites. The cookie may come from the Web site itself or from the providers of the advertising banners or other graphics that make up a Web page. Thus visiting a single Web site can actually result in the downloading of multiple cookies, each from a different source. You may never actually visit a page of one of the major advertising agencies like Doubleclick.com but you will still get cookies from them. Cookies typically contain some kind of ID number, a domain that the cookie is valid for, and an expiration date. They may also contain other tracking information such as login names and pages visited. Since they are in text format, they can be read with a regular text editor such as Notepad although the contents may not necessarily seem to make a lot of sense.

There are a number of cookie viewers available, which will also give some information about the meaning of the content. A good freeware program is Karen’s Cookie Viewer by the well-known programmer, Karen Kenworthy. Other software is listed in the sidebar. These programs can also be used to delete selected cookies.

Although some cookies provide a useful function, many others may not be desirable. As the Internet has evolved from its beginnings in academia and government to a commercial enterprise, cookies have inevitably been turned into a tracking mechanism used by advertisers. In principle, cookies are only accessible to the site that originated them but large advertising agencies with many clients can easily circumvent this restriction by collecting information for all their clients under one domain. A fairly harmless (and perhaps even useful) advertising application of cookies is to rotate banner ads as you go from page to page to make sure that you do not see the same ads over and over. However, there are more invasive tracking methods that might involve cookies and therein arise privacy issues.

It should be emphasized that cookies are plain text files and, as such, are not executable programs and cannot do anything to your computer.

Answer 2

Deleting cookies makes your computer run faster and smoother! so delete away (:

Cookies are employed when you use your browser to visit web sites on the Internet. The two main browsers, Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, both allow the use of cookies. Cookie files allow a web server to store information about you on your computer, and to retrieve that information to identify you in the future. A cookie is a tiny piece of text that is placed on your hard drive. Its job is to record bits of information such as the pages you’ve visited, items you’ve put into an online shopping cart, your user name and password.

hope i helped (:

Answer 3

No, it's not bad, it's a good thing actually. The easiest and best way to do it is through IE in your internet options. You don't want too many cookies building up in there, it's not good for your system. The only thing that it might hurt is if you have a log-in/password saved, you'll have to re-login. I clean out my cookies once a week as well as other Temporary internet files.

Answer 4

In a word: no. Actually, it's pretty much a safe option, seeings some "cookies" are actually spyware programs that snoop and track your surfing on the Net to marketers and/or spammers (grey area defining differences between the two, in my book).

And deleting cookies can save up disc space, too.

Answer 5

Cookies are a mixture of flour and sugar, and sometimes chocolate chips. I like chocolate chips. Leaving cookies on your computer can be bad. Eat the cookies. Problem solved.

Answer 6

cookies are small bits of info that a website leave on your comp. They are usually safe and are used to track your movements on that site. If you delete them, you usually have to sign in everytime you go to that site. I have my comp set to ask before any place leaves a cookie-if it is a site I go to often, I allow them, otherwise I don't. Some sites will not allow access without cookies being able to be left on your comp.

Answer 7

Cookies are stored on your computer. . .Of sites that you visit on the internet. . .To make for a better browsing experience. Let's say you visit rollingstone.com today. . .but you erased the cookies soon after. . .Well you go back to that website and your comp has to retrieve the information all over again. . .vs. having the information already on your comp. . .

Answer 8

cookies are files that contain the details of web pages you have been to. if you delete them then the next time you load the same web page it will be slightly slower. but if you dont delete them, and the web page is updated since you last loaded it, you dont get the updates
I delete cookies every time i finish surfing the net

Answer 9

well first of all.. cookies do not occupy much size so do not remain stuck on some fact that if makes PC run faster ..
its good to periodically clear cookies, however

the main problem is the sites will not "remember" you (recall the "remember me" check box??" and you will have to login again

Answer 10

cookies are pieces of information on your computer that interact with websites so that when you go there again, the websites remembers what you did there. it is like a little recording.