How Can I Tell if a Cookie Came From a Website I Visited or if It's an Ad?

If you have been surfing the Internet with your Web browser enabled to accept cookies, you might later wonder which cookies were set by the websites you visited, and which cookies were set by third-party advertisers. Websites and advertisers use cookies to track the browsing behavior of people who visit websites. Some cookies identify you to a website, so you don't have to log in to your account each time you load the page. Other cookies only help the advertisers keep track of you and your browsing behavior.

Instructions

Chrome

1. Launch the Google Chrome Web browser on your computer.

2. Click the wrench icon at the top of the page, and then click "Preferences."

3. Click "Under the Hood."

4. Click "Content Settings" and then click "All Cookies and Site Data." A list of the cookies stored on your computer appears. Look at the cookie's name under "Site." Cookies that are from sites you know you didn't visit are for advertisers.

Internet Explorer

1. Launch the Internet Explorer Web browser on your computer.

2. Click the gear icon at the top of the window, and then click "Internet Options."

3. Click "General," then click "Settings" under "Browsing History."

4. Click "View Files" under "Current Location." A window appears listing your temporary files, including cookies, which begin with the word "Cookie." Cookie files from sites you haven't loaded in your browser are the cookies that came from advertisers.

Safari

1. Launch the Safari Web browser on your computer.

2. Click the gear icon at the top of the window, and then click "Preferences."

3. Click "Security."

4. Click "Show Cookies."

5. Look at the list of cookies. The cookies from websites that you haven't visited are cookies set by advertisers.

References

• Google: Google Chrome - Cookies
• Microsoft: View or Delete Temporary Internet Files in Internet Explorer
• Apple: Safari 4 for Windows