[lotuseclat79]

Slashdot.org article: Flash Cookies, a Little-Known Privacy Threat.

Wiini recommends a blog posting exploring Flash cookies, a little-known threat to privacy, and how you can get control of them. 98% of browsers have Macromedia Flash Player installed, and the cookies it enables have some interesting properties. They have no expiration date; they store 100 KB of data by default, with an unlimited maximum; they can't be deleted by your browser; and they send previous visit information and history, by default, without your permission. I was amazed at some of the sites, not visited in a year or more, that still had Flash cookies on my machine. Here's the user-unfriendly GUI for deleting them, one at a time, each one requiring confirmation.

-- Tom

[jdean]

I highly recommend NoScript (http://noscript.net/) for Firefox users. This extension will allow you to control Flash and Javascript in your browser. NoScript blocks access by default (the safest thing to do), but you can easily override this (in several different ways) as needed.

If you are not using Firefox and are concerned about the security of your system, I recommend installing Firefox just so that you can run NoScript.

[hewee]

I use NoScript and kill disable Flash and Javascript and other Plug-ins.
Also disable iframes.

I have also known about the flash cookies a long time and have had the setting on high for years.
Just wish when you go to your setting and say NO to a site that it does not still get added to the list and when you delete a site from the list I wish it also deletes the folder that they had there file in.