Patent ID: 7603356

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; and (d) performing at least one of: (i) removing stored cookie files received at the client machine from cookie file sources on the downloaded list by (A) comparing the cookie file source of stored cookie files to the cookie file sources on the downloaded list, and (B) removing any stored cookie files that have matching cookie file sources, and (ii) preventing cookie files received at the client machine from cookie file sources on the downloaded list from being stored in the client machine by (A) comparing the cookie file source of received cookie files to the cookie file sources on the downloaded list and, (B) preventing storage of any received cookie files that have matching cookie file sources.