Computer Q&A
How to set browser to refuse advertising cookies
By Rob Pegoraro
Q: You’ve mentioned setting Web browsers to refuse the cookies set by advertising networks. How do I do that, exactly?
A: On the Web, a cookie — a tiny, inert text file that a Web site drops on your hard drive as a sort of placeholder to read or edit later — is usually harmless. These files are often helpful when they save your preferences or logins for you.
But advertising networks can also use cookies to track your Web use and measure your interests, so as to show you (in theory) more-relevant ads.
The banner ad the network inserted into your favorite site can save a cookie on your computer; other ads on other sites placed by the same network can then access this cookie, allowing the company to build a profile of what sites you visit.
This practice may not be the biggest privacy risk you face, on or offline. But if it bothers you, you can tell your browser to decline these “third-party” cookies, sometimes called “tracking cookies.”
(Doing so may cause issues at sites that use cookies in weird ways, but I can’t remember the last time I had any such problems.)
In Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 7, go to its Tools menu, select Internet Options and click the Privacy tab; there, click the Advanced button.
In the Advanced Privacy Settings window, click the checkbox next to “Override automatic cookie handling” and, under the “Third-party Cookies” heading, click the button next to “Block.”
Other browsers don’t require as many steps to change this behavior. In Mozilla Firefox 3, go to its Tools menu and select Options (on a Mac, go to the Firefox menu and select Preferences), click the Privacy tab and click to clear the checkbox next to “Accept third-party cookies.” Apple’s Safari requires no work at all, because it blocks third-party cookies by default.
‘Cuil’ is not so cool
Q: The new Cuil search engine says it has indexed 120 billion Web pages, three times more than other sites. Does that mean if I use Google or MSN I can’t get to billions of Web pages?
A: In case you don’t follow every new outburst of Web start-up hype, Cuil (cuil.com) is a search site founded by a few Google alumni. It launched July 28 with promises of vastly improved performance, but its record has been much less impressive.
I’ve found that Cuil (pronounced “cool”) delivers scattershot results. It can take you on interesting detours — and is worth a shot if other search engines can’t deliver — but for everyday use, you’re better off sticking with a site you know.
When to upgrade browser?
Q: I would like to know if and when I should upgrade my browser? I think I have Internet Explorer 6.
A: As much as this question made me cringe, I’m glad this reader asked it. Yes, you do need to keep your browser up to date — especially if you’re running Internet Explorer 6. That program is frightfully insecure against drive-by downloads and does such a poor job of supporting Web standards that a small but growing number of sites have begun to block it.
Microsoft replaced that version with IE 7, a considerably more secure and more capable successor, in 2006. You should at least install that, although the free Mozilla Firefox 3 (mozilla.com) offers better performance and should be a little easier to use if you’ve grown accustomed to IE 6’s interface.
If your PC runs Windows 2000 or an older release, however, you cannot install either of those browsers. Instead, get the free Opera (opera.com), which should also run a little faster on old computers.
Got a question on personal technology? Send a note to Washington Post columnist Rob Pegoraro at robp@washpost.com . Questions can be answered only through this column.
