Cookie defenders say that this ability is a crucial step in advancing Internet commerce. Cookies will cut down on time spent sifting through sites for relevant items. Also, it alleviates the need for user ID and password log-ins. Shopping carts, used extensively in large commercial sites to help visitors with their shopping, depend on cookies. Besides, for those who worry about hidden meemies invading their system, both Netscape and Explorer allow users to disable cookies in the Options settings.
Cookies also raise an insoluble argument over privacy.
Yes, companies should offer visitors the option of whether or not to accept a cookie. But there's a fine line between prudence and paranoia. Cookie critics compare the technology to stalking. Imagine someone following you through the downtown shopping district, they say, cataloging your actions, purchases, what signs your stopped to read, etc. And there's nothing you can do to get rid of this stalker because, after all, this information gathering is for your own good.