How to Prevent Firefox From Tracking Cookies

Cookies are information stored on your computer by a website, which allows the website to subsequently retrieve this information. If you ever clicked "Remember me" on a website's login page, the site places a cookie on your computer, so it can automatically retrieve your username the next time you visit. "Tracking cookies" are designed to track your visits to certain webpages, and are normally used by "third-party" advertising websites. If you wish to circumvent this potential privacy violation, you can elect to disable third-party tracking cookies.

Instructions

1. Open Firefox.

2. Click "Tools" in the top menu, and select "Options."

3. Click the "Privacy" tab.

4. Click the drop-down menu at the top of the "History" section, labeled "Firefox will:." Select "Use custom settings for history."

5. Uncheck "Accept third-party cookies," and click "OK" to disable tracking cookies. You can also uncheck "Accept cookies from sites" to disable all cookies, but this will severely limit the usefulness of some legitimate sites.

Tips & Warnings

• Some websites, such as Hotmail and MSN, may be hindered by disabling third-party cookies.

References

• Mozilla: Disabling Third Party Cookies