Cookies

[user 36867]

I hate cookies we never had them a few years ago and the net worked fine. Unless it says Reject I don’t go on the site so they must lose a lot of business, The net used to be a wonderful thing but it’s so abused now because of greed

 

[akirk]

I hate cookies we never had them a few years ago and the net worked fine. Unless it says Reject I don’t go on the site so they must lose a lot of business, The net used to be a wonderful thing but it’s so abused now because of greed

So, how are you managing to use this website - you need a cookie to be logged in!

Like anything in life they can be used well or badly - but it is difficult to build any interactive system without them...

 

[MorrisWoodman12]

Admittedly I don't know all the pros and cons but what about using a privacy based browser, something like Duckduckgo? I still tend to go through and reject as many cookies as I possibly can. I'm sure someone here will give better advice soon.
Martin

 

[Spectric]

They are needed but can be abused, if you want to know more than take a read of this

https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/definitions/cookies

In very simple terms they are nothing more than an ID that is given to you by a server so that you can be identified so it knows you are really you.

If cookies are a concern then look at the TPM module that is now required to run windows 11.

 

[Algarin]

I hate cookies we never had them a few years ago and the net worked fine. Unless it says Reject I don’t go on the site so they must lose a lot of business, The net used to be a wonderful thing but it’s so abused now because of greed

We've had cookies for about 20-30 years. The difference is that now you are offered a choice to reject or accept optional cookies such as statistics and marketing cookies. You still had them before, you just didn't know you did.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

I have set my laptop to delete all cookies on shut down, bar a few which I trust - eg: banks, HMRC.

 

[user 36867]

So, how are you managing to use this website - you need a cookie to be logged in!

Like anything in life they can be used well or badly - but it is difficult to build any interactive system without them...

Yes but you have a choice to regect cookies which I do

 

[user 36867]

So, how are you managing to use this website - you need a cookie to be logged in!

Like anything in life they can be used well or badly - but it is difficult to build any interactive system without them...

you use the Regect button

 

[user 36867]

Admittedly I don't know all the pros and cons but what about using a privacy based browser, something like Duckduckgo? I still tend to go through and reject as many cookies as I possibly can. I'm sure someone here will give better advice soon.
Martin

I use Duck Duck all the time I never use google. The CIA and FBI have enough info with out mine (Joke)

 

[akirk]

you can't reject all cookies from ukworkshop.co.uk and remain logged in - it won't work - download an extension for firefox such as cookie quick manager and you will see the cookies which are active - 5 currently for me on this site...

if you delete all cookies that would include the user cookie / session cookie - the website would keep seeing you as not yet logged in and give you no access to content as 'cerro' - you might be able to use it still as an anonymous user, but not as a logged in user

 

[niemeyjt]

If cookies are a concern then look at the TPM module that is now required to run windows 11.

Look at Windows 11, period. (Then switch to Linux). Microsoft Recall looks like another interesting debate - storing screenshots and records of all your activity - locally and voluntarily for now - it wouldn't surprise me to see it stored in (Microsoft's) cloud next. A treasure trove for LEA and the like - and a neat bypass for E2E encryption.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Irrespective of the settings on my devices - laptop or smartphone - I have low confidence that my use and data is going unrecorded in some way.

Duplicate devices may be sensible - one for formal and largely unavoidable activity - eg: banking, tax, medical records - and one for all other activity - web searches, downloads, online shopping, forum and chat sites etc.

The duplicate needs separate emails, passwords, and ideally a second address (or no address at all).

I would also be a happy buyer of software which could emulate online activity based on spurious and random interests - perhaps in my case ballet, dog training, hip-hop music, lawn tennis, and roman catholicism, none of which I have any interest in.

There may be two ways to resist the march of "big brother" - either an obsessional level of attention to settings, software updates, permissions, cookies etc, - or simply neuter and overwhelm those monitoring use with excessive, spurious and irrelevant data.

 

[niemeyjt]

If you want to segregate things, look at Qubes.

https://www.qubes-os.org/

Supposedly used by Edward Snowden.

 

[Scruples]

If I'm browsing, I reject all cookies if I can, switch off those optional ones if I can't. But if I'm logging in or buying something from a, seemingly, trustworthy site then I allow them.

 

[jcassidy]

You are going to get tracked and there's nothing you can do about it. You can reduce your exposure by;

A. Not using Chrome or Edge (I use Firefox)
B. Set browser configuration to;
i. Turn on 'Do not track' option
ii. Turn off 3rd party cookies
iii. Turn on 'Clear on Close' to clear history and cookies

C) When you log into sites like Facebook, Amazon, whatever, you need to close your browser after, to clear out all the tracking cookies as these companies will track all your online activity otherwise.

D) *Do not install apps* on your phone, use the online site instead. E.g facebook, amazon, twitter, linkedin... everyone is trying to force users onto their alps because apps are *vastly* more intrusive than the browser. E.g. facebook prevent users from using the message function from your phone browser, forcing you to install their messaging app.

I do have apps on my phone; banking apps, bus timetable app, Irish weather app. The free ones are either bank- or offical-Ireland apps, all the others I get the pay-for-no-adverts version. If there's no such version, it doesn't get installed. I also uninstall any apps temp required for a specific purpose; Ryanair, Ticketmaster, etc.

Even doing all this will only limit your exposure, given the widespread abuse of data in the sector. Note that 'Do not track' and GDPR are EU directives so I expect UK rules will increasingly diverge from this to your detriment (because liberating UK from the suffocating chains of EU regulation was what it's all about).

You will still see the same number of ads; they just won't be targeted at you personally based on your browsing history and personal data.

It works because I'm surprised now when I get hit with a targeted ad, then I realise that I haven't closed my browser for a few hours.

 

[HappyHacker]

It's not only cookies that you should be rejecting. have a look at Legitimate Interest and the datat that enabling that enables companies to obtain and track. It is usually not too clear how to say no and some sites like you to say no to each and evrry company involved and there are often a lot of them.

 

[jcassidy]

You must also realise that any smart phone is a tracking goldmine, especially an Android (Apple is as bad, but it's all owned by Apple themselves who don't have an advertising- based business model).

You should;
A) ensure you are using the default keyboard
B) Turn off the keyboard learning function, which tracks what you are typing and stores it online for mining by data companies
C) Regularily reset your advertising ID
D) Regularly check your app permissions and remove permissions. Almost no app needs access to your microphone, camera, location, contacts, phone log... it should be self evident which apps do (Camera needs access to your microphone... RandomApp, not so much; Maps needs access to your GPS, RanfomApp, nope)
E) Do not use free wifi without a VPN (PROTON VPN offer a limited free version)
F) Turn off broadcasting features when not in use (WIFI, Bluetooth)

Hope this helps

 

[flying haggis]

To me if you visit a site and reject cookies other than ones required to make the site work,that should be it forever.
You said no once and that should be it, period.

 

[John Brown]

Irrespective of the settings on my devices - laptop or smartphone - I have low confidence that my use and data is going unrecorded in some way.

Duplicate devices may be sensible - one for formal and largely unavoidable activity - eg: banking, tax, medical records - and one for all other activity - web searches, downloads, online shopping, forum and chat sites etc.

The duplicate needs separate emails, passwords, and ideally a second address (or no address at all).

I would also be a happy buyer of software which could emulate online activity based on spurious and random interests - perhaps in my case ballet, dog training, hip-hop music, lawn tennis, and roman catholicism, none of which I have any interest in.

There may be two ways to resist the march of "big brother" - either an obsessional level of attention to settings, software updates, permissions, cookies etc, - or simply neuter and overwhelm those monitoring use with excessive, spurious and irrelevant data.

What have you got against lawn tennis, for heaven's snakes?

 

[Cooper]

you can't reject all cookies from ukworkshop.co.uk and remain logged in - it won't work - download an extension for firefox such as cookie quick manager and you will see the cookies which are active - 5 currently for me on this site...

if you delete all cookies that would include the user cookie / session cookie - the website would keep seeing you as not yet logged in and give you no access to content as 'cerro' - you might be able to use it still as an anonymous user, but not as a logged in user

Is this why when I read the links from the morning email, if I want to join in to any of the threads I have to log in and out each time?
It’s all a mystery to me. And quite tiresome.