But now some people believe cookies have become a threat to privacy. Many Websites are commercial ventures supported by advertisers. They make more money if they give their sponsors as much detail as possible about the people surfing the site, what they are interested in reading and buying, and what files they download. More and more cookies are being created to monitor, sometimes surreptitiously, your online activities. Privacy advocates disagree, and want users to have more control over what personal data is stored and who gets to see it.
Net surfers have some choice.
Popular browsers can be set so a cookie query will pop up every time a site is about to slip you one. Those who find such alerts irritating can turn off the function. New browsers are being developed to remove the nuisance factor without forcing the user to give up all control. Default Mode is Asiaweek's monthly forum on personal technology. Sorry, we can't respond individually to questions.