McAfee GUARD DOG 2 User Manual page 79

• First, you can provide the information yourself when you register software
or respond to Internet questionnaires.
• Second, when you ask to be allowed access to the electronic version of a
newspaper, or use a "shopping cart" to buy products on the Web, a cookie,
described in "What are cookies and how are they used?" on page 69, might
be written to your computer where it stores information, such as your user
ID and password for the newspaper or the articles you bought with their
quantity and price.
What information do companies get when I register products
online?
Companies get only the information that you enter in the registration form
when you register electronically. They do not get any information about your
computer system, your use of your computer, or other stored information
unless you provide it as part of the registration.
This information is used for the company's marketing research and to send
you information about new releases, other products, and so on. The
information might be sold to other companies, just as mailing lists of magazine
subscribers or mail order companies can be sold to others.
Some companies allow you to specify that you do not want to receive mailings
or to have your name and address sold to other companies. If the company
does not provide this option, you can enter false information to prevent
mailings, either postal or electronic, from reaching you.
What are cookies and how are they used?
A cookie is a small file that contains data. The data in the cookie varies,
depending on its purpose. Upon the request of a Web site, your Web browser
stores cookies on your computer. Usually, cookies just contain information
that enhances your Web experience. For example, when you use an Internet
site to buy computer equipment, you may add items to a "shopping basket."
Information about the items you add to the shopping basket is stored in a
cookie on your computer because the Internet browser cannot retain
information that you entered in one Internet page when you switch to another
Internet page. The cookie saves information about your purchases and allows
the site to create a final order form for you.
Another example is the cookie that a Web store keeps on your computer,
holding your user name and password so that you do not need to enter this
information each time you connect to the site.
Internet Security and Privacy
User's Guide 69