Controversial Issue of Use of Cookies in Web Browsers Essay

Controversial Issue of Use of Cookies in Web Browsers - Essay Example Many internet sites have incorporated cookies in the search engines for various purposes. Usage of cookies is more prevalent in e-commerce sites, which depend on the activities and information of the customer to customize the search engine to the preferences of the customers. Cookies store small sections of program codes and memories that can be retrieved later. Use of cookies is always well-intended. However, there has been claims that site owners use cookies to track important information from the users. This is even more controversial considering that cookies operate discreetly without the knowledge of the user. Whether use of cookies is beneficial or risky to internet users has remained a controversial issue for a long time and therefore, this paper explores this controversy and ultimately supports that use of cookies is indeed beneficial to internet users. Proponents of use of cookies argue that use of cookies makes site browsing easier, more efficient and user-friendly. Accordi ng to Palmer â€Å"while e-commerce has grown rapidly in recent years, some of the practices associated with certain marketing aspects of marketing such as pop-ups, cookies and spam have raised concerns on the side of the internet users† (Palmer, 2005). For instance, e-commerce sites such as Amazon use cookies to keep track of user activities. User information is recorded and kept as cookies, site preferences are recorded as well as credit card and vital personal information. Users do not have to re-enter such information in subsequent site visits, therefore, making browsing easier and safer. However, it is possible for some sites to use such information unethically. For instance, site preference information can be used for advertisement purposes and not necessarily to benefit the site user.