Internet Privacy FAQ – What are cookies?

What are cookies?

A cookie is a file sent from a website to your computer’s hard drive that is logged on to the site. This file allows the site to recognize whether the computer has been there before and what security requirements and browser preference the computer requires. Only the site that sent the cookie can read the cookie, and only information that has been given directly by the logged on user to the site is accessible. Computer viruses cannot be transmitted through cookies.