Is it ever advisable/secure/safe/practical toclear cookies (Safari, other browsers) on my MacBook Pro? If so, how often should one do so to prevent / do something about web tracking? Any better solution?
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8)
I have Firefox set to clear all my cookies on browser quit (at least daily, sometimes more often.) Helps defeat tracking. But I do save a few from session to session, including some from Apple, so I don't get the annoying survey request. I also manually remove them if I'm not ready to quit the browser.
Firefox is the only browser I know of that allows saving some cookies while removing all others.
http://www.ghacks.net/2011/03/09/configure-firefox-to-delete-all-cookies-on-exit -but-select-ones/
If a cookie contains login information, I've never found it a big deal just to login again.
Hi WZZ,
I downloaded Firefox. This is what I got (see grab), straight out of Firefox preferences/Security/ Exceptions. It does not give me the same options as your screen grab indicates (i.e. Exceptions-Cookies, Block, Allow for session, Allow.). It appears as if yours came from an add-on, from somewhere else in FF, but where? Which add-on specifically handles cookies this way. I also installed NoScript for FF. Thanks!
It has to be there. It's not from an Add-on. Preferences>Privacy>Exceptions. But look at the link I gave you to set it up so that cookies you want to be saved will be saved upon closing Firefox set to delete cookies.
http://www.ghacks.net/2011/03/09/configure-firefox-to-delete-all-cookies-on-exit -but-select-ones/
These happen to be mine.
WZZZ wrote:
It has to be there...
It is there, but the secret step is to use the "Firefox will:" pulldown menu to select "Use custom settings for history" and the additional choices will appear.
Hi WZZZ,
Got it. Thanks!
Every time I go to check my gmail, google simple casually checks/logs me into everyhting on their menu wihtout asking me wether to do so or not! It is really getting to p&%^^s me off. Can anything be done about this?
Uncheck the box "Stay signed in" before logging in for your email.
Hi ds store,
Yeah, that is what I usually thought. It actually never seems to matter. The "Stay signed-in" box is just a deceptive tease! First of all it shouldn't be there. At all! It comes automatically checked. Google furtively hoping that you might not notice it after all. Most people don't. Especially if one is in a hurry. As I log in and hopelessly watch the log in process in progress via the https field, google simply logs me into google accounts first, then YouTube, and only then do I get logged into gmail. It never fails. My gmail account is now tangled up into this sly ggl accounts morass. I only openned an E-mail account years ago, you know, when they were still adhering to "don't be evil"! I can't recall switching to this global ggl acc. meander. At any rate thanks!
Hi WZZZ,
There appear to be a few flavors/versions of Stargate ffx add-Ons. I downloaded the https version. It seems though that this has created a new problem for me. With Stargate and NoScript on, at times they seem to "fight" for primecy and end up knocking my off my WIFI/ Airport internet configuration, i.e my time capsule IP address. This never happened before. So I have to disconnect my DSL device temporarily to retore my settings. Or could I be seeing something else going on here?
Is it ever advisable/secure/safe/practical to clear cookies (Safari, other browsers) on my MacBook Pro? How often should one do so to prevent /do something about web tracking? Any better solution?
