Cookie rejection on the internet is less than one per cent,
according to a report released yesterday by Californian firm
WebSideStory.com. In a sampling of more than one billion page views
in February, cookies were found to be rejected only 0.68% of the
time.
A cookie is a small file that a web site puts on a visitor’s
hard disk, usually so that site can remember something about the
visitor at a later time. Most internet browsers by default allow
sites to install cookies on a visitor’s hard drive. The user can
instead set his or her browser to disable cookies or to give an
option to accept or reject a cookie every time a site offers
one.
“With the public debate over online privacy
heating up, we thought it was important to bring this information
to light,” said Randy Broberg, general counsel and chief privacy
officer for WebSideStory. “Although some Web surfers may not know
how to disable cookies in their browsers, such a minute percentage
indicates that cookies are simply not a big concern among most
internet users.”
Not knowing how to disable cookies may not be the only reason
for leaving cookies enabled, which is the default setting in most
internet browsers. Disabling cookies makes it impossible to view or
register with some sites. The other browser setting, that prompts
users whenever a cookie appear, can become tedious when messages
pop up on every page of some popular sites.
Last week, internet advertising agency DoubleClick succeeded in
having a court dismiss a class action that alleged abuse of
cookies. The judge ruled that the company was not invading the
privacy of individuals by placing cookies on the hard drives of
users.
