HTTP cookies, sometimes known as or just cookies, are parcels of text sent by a server to a web browser and then sent back unchanged by the browser each time it accesses that server. HTTP cookies are used for authenticating, tracking, and maintaining specific information about users, such as site preferences and the contents of their electronic shopping carts. The term "cookie" is derived from "magic cookie," a well-known concept in Unix computing which inspired both the idea and the name of HTTP cookies.

Cookies have been of concern for Internet privacy, since they can be used for tracking browsing behavior. As a result, they have been subject to legislation in various countries such as the United States and in the European Union. Cookies have also been criticised because the identification of users they provide is not always accurate and because they could potentially be used for network attacks. Some alternatives to cookies exist, but each has its own drawbacks.

Cookies are also subject to a number of misconceptions, mostly based on the erroneous notion that they are computer programs. In fact, cookies are simple pieces of data unable to perform any operation by themselves. In particular, they are neither spyware nor viruses, despite the detection of cookies from certain sites by many anti-spyware products.

Most modern browsers allow users to decide whether to accept cookies, but rejection makes some websites unusable. For example, shopping baskets implemented using cookies do not work if cookies are rejected.

Setting Cookies in I.E.

• Click on Tools on the Menu Bar
• Click on Interent Tools
• Click on Privacy
• Set your Internet Zone to allow cookies.

Setting Cookies in Opera 9

• Click on Tools on the Menu Bar
• Click on Preferences
• Click on Advanced
• Click on Cookies
• Choose:
  Accept Cookies
  Delete new cookies when exiting Opera

Setting Cookies in Mozilla

• Click on Edit on the Menu Bar
• Click on Preferences
• Click on Privacy & Security
• Click on Cookies
• Choose settings.