When I visit a web site, what information gets recorded?
When your Web browser — Firefox, Internet Exporer, Opera — requests a Web page, a good amount of information is sent out. Here are the basic facts that get reported to the sites you visit:
- Browser Version
The type and version of the Web browser software that you are using, ex. Safari Version 3.0.4. - Operating System
The OS your computer is running, ex. Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows Vista. - Language
Your system’s language setting, ex. English - United States. - IP Address
A number identifying your computer on the Internet, assigned by your Internet Service Provider. Your IP address can also be used to ascertain your approximate geographic location.
These are the basic pieces of information that are reported to a Web site by your browser. In addition, many websites use cookies to track more detailed information. If you have “signed up” for a site, opened member accounts, or a marketing company has simply been able to pinpoint some of your personal information, then this data is linked to you via cookies, and can be accessed by the sites that set those cookies.
A cookie is a small file that a Web site can use to store any kind of information. For example, cookies can store your username for a site, your e-mail address, or an ID number. Since cookies can be used for so many different purposes, it is really beyond the scope of this article to discuss them in depth. If you would like to know more, read our article entitled “What cookies are and how to delete them“.
