From: "Mark M." <markm@voicenet.com>
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 1996 10:50:15 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Cookie alternatives
In-Reply-To: <199607172056.QAA15431@jafar.issl.atl.hp.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.94.960718195152.355A-100000@gak>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


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On Wed, 17 Jul 1996, Jeff Barber wrote:

> I think you're exactly right about how cookies are used, but I believe
> privacy concerns stemming from cookies have been blown out of proportion
> lately.  For the average Joe User running his single-user PC at home,
> connected by modem to his local ISP, it makes little difference whether
> a site issues a cookie to Joe or not; his IP address already uniquely
> distinguishes him.  The site can simply use his IP address as its
> database index.  If Joe deletes his cookie file each night before
> invoking the browser, the impact of cookies is completely negated.

That's not entirely correct.  Cookies can be used to establish the route a
person used to get from one page to the next.  Of course, this can also be
done by using the "HTTP-REFERER:" header, but some servers might not have that
capability.

- -- Mark

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