But e-mail messages are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the confidentiality of Internet use, or lack thereof. When you visit a Web site, that site can capture data from your computer. These micro-files piggyback on your Internet browser and nestle inside your computer. Cookies also can determine which computer you use to go online, what kind of hardware and software you use, details of the Internet sites you visit and possibly even your e-mail address. This information is then sold to companies that use it to target advertising at you.
Many computer users have no idea that their use is being tracked by cookies.
Reid, who uses her home computer for work and personal purposes, learned about cookies the hard way when she received a direct mail advertisement for exercise equipment after completing an online survey for a health magazine. The magazine's posted privacy policy said it did not sell or share the information with anyone. The next day I got something from another diet program. I couldn't believe it. It probably wasn't the magazine.