What are Browser Independent Cookies? Should you be Concerned?

What is a Wink cookie? What is a Silverlight cookie? And what are Browser Independent Cookies? The 3rd question (last 1) is the answer to the first 2 questions. Flash Cookies are small-scale files that store a skilful amount of data about you. The same goes for Silverlight (now discontinued) cookies. Are browser independent cookies bad? We'll go to know if they are, after studying how they are used. What does a Flash cookie do? Let's take a look at these special cookies, what they practice, if they are bad and how to remove them if need be.

Browser Contained Cookies

Browser Independent Cookies

Browser Cookies – What Practice They Do

You lot already know that different websites store data – in the class of Cookies – on your computer. These cookies generally are to help to become quickly to the website the next time you log in. Some are tracking cookies, and some others are tertiary-party cookies – used when the website employs third-party elements such every bit Google search or the Disqus commenting organisation.

Cookies are known to accept a small life, and they expire after a few hours or days. The important types of cookies are the ones that shop your login information so that you exercise not have to fill in the same information over again and again if you are a regular company to whatever website. All others can and should exist removed at regular intervals to keep your computer clutter-free if not for privacy purposes.

They are regular HTML cookies designed to store information for a while and expire. When you proceed on entering a website, fresh cookies are created. These cookies are small in size and practise non pose much danger unless someone else uses your computer. Normally, the login cookies are set when you select "call up me" when logging into whatever website. It is entirely your wish whether or not you lot would want to permit login cookies – depending upon how you utilise/share your computer.

Browser Contained Cookies: What Is A Flash Cookie or Silverlight Cookie

Flash cookies and Silverlight cookies are independent of the browsers you use to access the Cyberspace and hence are called a browser-independent cookie. So what does that mean?

A Wink cookie is a piffling bigger file compared to regular HTML cookies. Wink cookies (and sometimes Silverlight cookies) are used to save information about your games, online movies, etc. The original intent behind developing such cookies was to let you resume a movie on – say YouTube – from where you lot left watching it. Other cookies would store your game progress etc. That likewise stores some other data such as where did you lot leave watching the picture (fourth dimension/seek progress), what resolution you were using, what was the volume level you lot set etc. so that y'all tin can only go to the website and continue from where you left off – without having to fix all the audio, resolution, etc. every time.

IMPORTANT: Different HTML or browser-specific cookies, well-nigh Flash and Silverlight cookies practise not have an expiry fourth dimension. That translates to the fact that your data is stored nigh for eternity: until y'all format your computer or remove them using ane of the methods mentioned below.

Are Browser Independent Cookies Dangerous?

The basic trait of Flash and Silverlight cookies is that they are not related to any specific browser. That means, when you delete your browsing traces from the figurer using a third-party app like CCleaner – the browser-independent cookies are not removed.

Equally such, Flash and Silverlight cookies aka browser contained cookies, are not a trouble but assistance you in speedier access to whatever they are related. For example, they assist you watch an online film where yous left it or resume a game without losing your previous progress.

Thus, nosotros can say that Flash cookies are non unsafe. They really facilitate a ameliorate user experience and that is why they are designed for. But, there is always a possibility of exploitation – for both HTML cookies and browser independent cookies. And in the latter instance, the exploitation chances are more as they cannot exist deleted easily.

Browser Independent Cookies Can Exist Exploited For Marketing

This is happening. The browser-independent cookies on your computer are used by 3rd-party applications resident on the different websites to track your motion. These cookies give out all social networks you use and how ofttimes. The third-party marketing companies follow you on the Net past accessing these cookies.

Since your estimator IP name is attached to these cookies, it is not a large trouble for them to identify you uniquely when you visit a website. All they need to do is to run a search matching the name to the ones present in their database. Based on all that, a good assisting profile can be created to include your browsing preferences, your shopping, and other online habits. A practiced, complete contour often is upward for sale to dissimilar advertising companies including some of the major search companies.

Read: What are Supercookies?

How To Delete Browser Independent Cookies

Net Explorer can remove Wink cookies provided sure weather condition are met. Here is a post on how to delete Flash Cookies using IE. Adobe offers a pocket-size utility that downloads to your estimator and removes local Flash cookies. Hither is the post on how to use Adobe Cookie Director.

To delete Silverlight Cookies, yous tin visit whatsoever webpage that contains a Silverlight application. Right-click on the Silverlight application, and choose Silverlight from the drop-downwardly carte. Next, select the Application Storage tab. Delete all of the content in this box. These Silverlight Cookies are normally to exist plant in C:\Users\Username\AppData\LocalLow\Microsoft\Silverlight binder.

You can also delete these cookies manually. To exercise and then, open up File Explorer. Become to Users and then your User Contour. Open up Awarding Data folder. Y'all may accept to make Hidden Files and Folders visible before you lot tin can view the Awarding Data binder. Check for the Macromedia folder in all the different profiles you detect there – roaming, local, etc. Within the subfolders of Macromedia, look for files with SOL extension. Delete all files with the extension to delete the Flash cookies.

This explains browser independent cookies and how to remove them. This also creates a scope for discussing if browser independent cookies are indeed dangerous and if yes, to what extent. I created a batch file to delete Flash cookies at every login. Simply do I really demand to use it every time? Let me know your thoughts on this. Some other question that arises hither is that even if we utilise a proxy, would the websites be able to recognize the computer if they find the Wink cookies stored locally?

Thoughts!?