Patent ID: 8073853

Claim:
A method of screening cookie files in a client machine, wherein a cookie file includes a cookie file source, the method comprising: (a) receiving, at a server, a request from a subscriber to send a list of untrusted cookie file sources to the client machine; (b) downloading the list of untrusted cookie file sources from the server to the client machine; (c) using the downloaded list of untrusted cookie file sources to detect cookie files received at the client machine from cookie file sources on the downloaded list by comparing the cookie file source of any received cookie file to the untrusted cookie file sources on the downloaded list; (d) creating at least one of a first exception list including the identity of cookie file sources that are permitted to store cookie files in the client machine, and a second exception list including the identity of cookie file sources that are not permitted to store cookie files in the client machine; and (e) modifying the downloaded list in accordance with the at least one of a first and second exception lists.