Should you accept internet cookies?
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - You open up a web browser or a website, and before you can do anything, it wants to know if you will accept cookies.
And we're not talking about Girl Scouts or Mrs. Fields cookies.
These are guests who set up shop on your phone or computer. Should you allow that to happen? The answer is yes and no.
There are good cookies and some that could spoil your lunch.
Cookies are tiny files the website wants to put on your device.
"Nothing comes for free. So, it's convenience versus security," says Carnegie Mellon University's Dr. Mohamed Farag.
Dr. Farag says there are useful cookies "that pretty much aim to help someone on the web do their job in a better way."
For instance, a cookie that remembers your log-in to a shopping website, so the next time it recognizes you, you don't have to log in every time.
Or if you go shopping for something like a vacuum?
"The next time you come to that same website, what you're going to see is you will notice that they have some suggestions for you with vacuums," Dr. Farag explained.
But sometimes when you agree to the cookie, you're opening yourself up to a third-party cookie.
"It's more of a targeting purpose, you know, to help [retailers] with their marketing advertisement business."
And if it embeds itself on your hard drive, it can look at anything that's there.
"Some reported incidents were when cookies were doing beyond what you agree to agree for them to do."
Dr. Farag said there is something you can do about it.
"Make sure that you're cleaning your cookies, cleaning your cache, and making sure that you have taken care of your system to protect it from these harmful, harmful cookies."
And install an antivirus software.
"If you're using an antivirus software, the tool will give you the chance that says, 'Hey, there is a harmful cookie. We're going to have to take care of that for you.'"
First-party cookies are okay. It's the third-party cookies you want to avoid, and of course, it's all in that fine print none of us read before we hit 'I agree.'
How hard is it to clear your cache and cookies? Not hard at all.
Google how to do it on your particular device and follow the three or four required steps.
