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What
are "Cookies"?
This
area of Keep and Bear Arms uses
cookies. Read all about Cookies, below.
Keep and Bear Arms
utilizes a complex Active Server
Page/cookie system for logging into such areas
as our Membership system, news posts and FREE email.
In order to visit some of the Keep and Bear Arms
pages, you must have cookies
"enabled" on your computer. This
area discusses what cookies are, how they work,
why they are beneficial and non-intrusive, and
how to "enable" cookies on your
computer if they are not already enabled.
What
are cookies?
Cookies are simply bits of information, small
text files (usually less than 1K in size), that
your browser picks up at many Web sites and
stores on your hard drive. They are not programs
or applets that can run on your computer.
Where
do cookies come from?
You. Yes, that's right. Most of the time, the
data stored on the text files comes from
information you have supplied at a Web site.
This information may be your zip code, your
username, any information that you have provided
at an online form.
What
are cookies used for?
Personalized content delivery is one of the most
effective uses of cookies. Keep and Bear Arms uses cookies
to deliver all the special, personal content
members choose and to identify themselves as Keep and Bear Arms members.
Without cookies, you will be unable to access or
join Keep and Bear Arms as a member.
A
cookie often functions as a small, digital ID
badge. With them, Web sites can
"remember" who you are and what your
preferences are. Without such a record, a Web
site must treat you like a brand new visitor
every time you visit the site.
What
does Keep and Bear Arms use cookies for?
Keep and Bear Arms (as noted above) primarily uses cookies
to remember who you are so you don't have to log in every time you want to post a
comment to access the members section. We also hold some of your information
that you've entered to our member area to make it easier to display this
information to you.
What
else are they used for?
Online shopping and Web site tracking are other
common uses of cookies.
In
online shopping, cookies are used to create a
virtual "shopping cart," which can
remember the items you have selected as you
switch from one page to another within the site.
If you are forced to terminate your connection
while shopping, the items will remain in your
shopping cart until you reconnect to the site.
Web
developers and webmasters like cookies because
cookies provide them with information. Cookies
can tell the webmasters how many unique visits
their sites have had, how often users return,
where they go, and what they like. This
information can help them generate more
effective pages. For example, they may be able
to eliminate "dead ends," places on
their site where people go and then wander off
because there are no more interesting links to
click on.
What
about advertisers? How do they use cookies?
Advertising companies can use cookies to target
ad banners. One large advertising network,
DoubleClick, has come under some criticism for
trying to track customers by creating
cookie-generated profiles. The company then
tries to serve you with ad banners they think
you will respond to; it claims not, however, to
gather personal information or sell any of its
cookie data. We NEVER will, and you can
see our Privacy Policy for more about
where we stand regarding the RIGHT to privacy.
If
cookies are text files, who can read this text?
A cookie can only be read by the site domain
that created it. Webmasters can NOT snoop through
all your cookies and find out information about
you.
Can
a cookie carry a computer virus that will infect
my computer?
No. Viruses are carried by executable files.
Since cookies are text only, which cannot
contain executable files, they cannot carry
viruses.
So
what's the big deal? Why do some people object
to cookies?
Some anti-cookie sentiment is based on
misinformation and paranoia: That cookies are
malicious, that they can snoop around your hard
drive and gather information about you, that
they can reveal personal information. But
cookies are simple text files that can NOT
capture any information about you. They only
store information you have voluntarily provided
while visiting a site. And browsers already
reveal some information about you without
cookies: your IP address, operating system,
browser type, etc.
Do
I have to accept cookies?
No, you do not. Most browsers can be configured
to refuse all cookies, but choosing this setting
will make you lose out on many features of the
Web. You will, for instance, NOT be
able to use the Keep and Bear Arms
membership system or forum system and you will
NOT be able to save any
personalized features if you do not accept any
cookies. In many cases, you will not be able to
shop online either, and that goes for MANY web
sites. Cookies are also used in tracking misuse of people's credit cards,
for example, and many larger ecommerce sites require them for just that
reason--to protect the consumer.
Can
I accept some and reject others?
Yes, you can. It is common for people to set
their browsers to alert them before accepting a
cookie. This way you can pick and choose which
ones you want to accept.
How
do I set my browser so I can accept or
reject cookies?
You can configure your Web browser to alert you
before accepting cookies if you are using
any current web browser.
Mozilla Firefox
In version 3.0, go to the Tools menu and
select Options. In the menu
pane, click Privacy. Below find the section titled Cookies
and check the box labeled Accept cookies from sites. Click OK.
In this same pane you can click
Show Cookies... to see what cookies are on your computer and the exact
information held in your cookies!
Internet Explorer
In version 7.0 go to the Tools menu
and
select Internet Options. Click the Privacy
tab. Move the slider to the Medium Level or you can click the Advanced
button and select specific settings. Click OK.
In this same pane you can click
the Sites button which will allow you to explicitly allow or deny cookies
from a specific web site.
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