'Action needed' to meet UK's cookie tracking deadline

[dipsydoodle]

There are on average 14 tracking tools per webpage on the UK's most popular sites, according to a study.

Privacy solutions provider Truste suggests that means a user typically encounters up to 140 cookies and other trackers while browsing a single site.

The research was published less than 40 days before strict rules come into effect governing cookie use.

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The firm said that 68% of the trackers analysed belonged to third-parties, usually advertisers, rather than the site's owner.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17745938

I recall mentioning the oddity that whenever I went into the Guardian's home page I got adverts for stuff I'd looked at on a ebay. I thought at first it was the Guardian itself doing it but I guess that wasn't the case. After that having looked for some pork pie hats just by googling I found that for a while almost anything I went into tried to re-direct to a hat company. The issue is removed by running a quick Norton whatever scan to remove all cookies which only takes minutes.

Worth reading down the article to see anticipated effect on online sales.

[fedsron2us]

1. Personally I dont find tracking cookies that big a deal

Most time expire and persistent ones can simply be deleted by using the tools found in most browsers at the end of each session or by running an anti virus checker. You can also customise your browser to refuse them altogether although this will probably interfere with the usability of some web sites. There are some malicious cookies out there but most are simply trying to flog you something and are merely an irritant. There are far bigger threats to your privacy on the internet.