According to the study of more than 4,600 Internet users, 58 percent have deleted cookies in an attempt to remain anonymous during and after site visits, effectively denying webmasters the ability to gather information on them. More than 39 percent delete cookies at least once monthly.
The report also pointed out that many commonly used anti-spyware and firewall applications block third-party cookies by default and regularly delete cookies from users’ computers.
Users cited fear of the risks posed by spyware, phishing and viruses as the primary reason for dumping cookies from their caches.
“It makes sense that consumers are going a little over the top to try and find things that they can do to protect themselves,” JupiterResearch analyst Eric Peterson said in a statement.
But Peterson added that surfers’ fears are, for the most part, misplaced.
“Cookies, 99 out 100 times, are not an invasion of a consumer’s privacy or security,” Peterson said. “They’re just harmless little text files.”
Still, 38 percent of those surveyed said they believe cookies are an invasion of their privacy and a threat to their security, while 44 percent believe deleting or blocking cookies will help protect them from Internet dangers. Such attitudes are heightened by media coverage of reports, such as an alert issued March 14 by network security company Netcraft, warning users of dangers to personal information posed by the theft of cookies by attackers using cross-scripting flaws.
Peterson said such attitudes could have ominous consequences for websites. To help webmasters deal with what he said is a growing problem, Peterson suggests telling visitors what cookies are and how they are used, then asking for permission to place them on surfers’ computers.