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cookie icon Tracking Activities Within A Site
When you visit some Web sites, the Web server sends a small piece of information, called a cookie to your web browser. 

The next time you visit the site, the Web server reads the cookie file it has placed on your browser so it can recognize who you are. 

dialog box asking permission to send a cookie (14 KB)

The information stored in a cookie file can be used for a number of things:
cookie icon to store the password and user ID you submitted for the site,
cookie icon to remember the options you have selected at the site (e.g., which pages you want to look at first at that site), and
cookie icon to track your movements at the site.
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Generally speaking, the information stored by a cookie is used for your personal convenience.  However, some Web sites, especially commercial sites, use the tracking information for marketing purposes.  These sites build up a profile of where you go, and what advertisements you click on, so the next time you visit the site, you are shown products specifically targeted to your interests.
Chapter 7, Page 10

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