Cookies

When I log into the site, there are a number of cookies set on my device. Although I think they are excessive and are telling rapacious organizations too much info about me, when I log out, which I regularly do, the message I get is “all cookies removed.”

This is simply not true. Why is it necessary to say this?
The first screenshot shows all the cookies set by this site when you log in.

The next photo is after logging out and refreshing the website data.

I think the mods need to be more transparent and make it perfectly clear how much of the user’s data is sold to others and make it clear to us all where this all goes.

I delete all history and cookies every time I put down my device. I have no idea if this is a benefit to me but I object to entities being able to mess around with my life.

I just run Superantispyware every couple of days, it will remove a lot of tracking cookies. There is a free version of the software, what I run. The first time you run it, I suspect the number of tracking cookies it finds will be roughly a thousand.

https://www.superantispyware.com/

Auto Cookie Delete is an add on I use in my browser to remove cookies after I leave a site. It also allows white listing of sites that are permitted. It's not 100%.

Another issue is 3rd party cookies from sites you never visited. In Firefox you can Manage Permissions and permanently ban specific site cookies.
I still go thru my cookies, usually daily to delete the occasional cookie that slips thru.

I have MacKeeper on, and it doesn't seem to find these an issue, so I gave up. The sky has not fallen on my head.

Might be better if the Forum advised at Logout
"All Cookies removed except for: (insert list of cookies not removed)"

First off, let's clarify a misconception. Moderators do not run the Trawler Forum website. We are users, just like you. The only difference is we have additional permissions to Lock, Delete, Merge, and Edit posts or threads. We also have the ability to lock or ban user accounts. We are no more than Hall Monitors or Prison Trustees. We don't manage the website, the servers, or the configuration. That is handled by the Administrators of the site. We are not paid, and hold no position within Social Knowledge L.L.C.

-> To address confusion, I'll discuss internally whether changing our title from "Site Team" to "Moderator" makes more sense to avoid confusion.

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You do get a notification that the site uses cookies and you accept those cookies as part of the logon process.

You will find the TrawlerForum Privacy Policy posted at the bottom of every page, however I'm including it here as well:

https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/misc.php?do=sknetwork&page=privacy

I will look into the cookies and behavior you reported, these look like 3rd party cookies, which can be controlled through browser settings or client-side software.

What web browser are you using?

We use cookies for a variety of purposes.

• We use them to keep you logged in between page changes.
• We use cookies to assess page traffic and then there are cookies for various forum plugins.
• Lastly there are cookies for ads which keep the board funded.

When you click on an ad the forum gets a penny or two. The forum is free to use but there are costs associated with keeping it online and this is how it's funded rather than (for instance) charging folks to participate or asking for donations). As always, we don't sell, lend or share members personal or account info.

You are free to remove any or all cookies. If you remove the login cookies, you may be logged out as you navigate around the site; if you remove ad trackers, the click revenue is lost.

All these these things are within your control.

Good morning.

Thanks for the reply, I get that the mods are not site owners and there was no attempt on my part to criticize the work you guys do to keep us all civil. I like to watch, as much as an uneducated computer user can, the number of organizations that profit, benefit or otherwise abuse my rather tedious attempts at navigating the internet. I get that if I start using words like “bomb, ”assassinate,” “plutonium” or similar, I may get a visit from the RCMP (or whatever they are now) so it’s clear that much of what I’m doing is potentially providing hours of fun for somebody in a dark room somewhere. My complaint, if there is one, is that this particular site sends my “stuff” (what to call it?) to many different sites that profit from it and the disclaimer etc. is a blanket disclaimer and doesn’t tell the whole story.

I guess I want transparency from a site I enjoy and participate in.

I have no idea if it matters that I delete all that web data immediately or not. I suspect I’m wasting my time and the entire thing is captured for the boys in the dark room?

I use Safari and I have 2 ad blockers. I use the Apple-thing that says it blocks third-party stuff. I noticed that if I do not log in and merely browse to see if there is anything that interests me, the entire selection of cookies is set anyway, which is as annoying as clicking on a porn site (knowingly or not nudge nudge) and being bombarded with crap thereafter.

I guess I’m exercised about the site saying “all cookies erased” which is nonsense; I think that statement is a breach of trust but so is the pile-on of parasites and freeloaders like Google or Amazon which goes far beyond my understanding and definition of “cookies.”

Hi Janet, we cross-posted.

I understand the revenue-thing, that websites need a profit to continue and that the people drawn to this site are considered customers but selling my crap to Google is akin to the old tactic of restaurants in Europe that put bread and olives etc on the table at a meal, but if you touch them they cost you extra. I just need transparency so I can decide if my cost is reasonable.The cookie disclaimer is like the fine print on the back of a ski lift ticket which nobody really reads.

How about saying “logging on will result in your stuff being tracked or examined by Google, Amazon, Ralph’s Used Ipad Store, the Home For Overweight Seniors or the Republican Party?”

Lastly, if your site derives no monetary benefit for letting Google and that ilk track me, why do you allow so many of these parasites to put (deleted) on my computer?

Before moving to Adblock and adding an antivirus system highly adept at removing trackers, my computer nearly ground to a halt. I recognize some of the trackers listed above, seems likely I acquired them from TF.
I would encourage a good antivirus system which will enthusiastically chase down and remove tracking cookies, and using it regularly.

BruceK said:

Before moving to Adblock and adding an antivirus system highly adept at removing trackers, my computer nearly ground to a halt. I recognize some of the trackers listed above, seems likely I acquired them from TF.
I would encourage a good antivirus system which will enthusiastically chase down and remove tracking cookies, and using it regularly.

Click to expand...

Yep, even on a Mac you need a good anti everything system. It’s the way of the world anymore no mater what site you go to. If it’s free you can bet they want something in return.......your data!

I've done a cursory analysis of the behavior of '/login.php?do=logout' which is used for logout. This issue is being discussed internally.

NOTE: I don't work for Social Knowledge LLC, I simply (coincidentally) happen to work in the in web based access control and security field.