On-line privacy

Go to http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager.html

to remove LSO's (flash cookies).

Doc also told us about Flash Cookie Cleaner awhile back.  It has become one of my favorite and most-used utilities, I often just leave it running minimized if I'm doing much browsing to clean up after sites.  If you leave it running you need to click on its "Scan Cookies" button to rescan the cookies directory (it scans automatically when you first open it up).  The cookies are stored on a logon/user by logon/user basis, so you need to run it while logged in under any particular logon - running under an Admin logon will only clean out the cookies under the Admin user.

Might be better to just block them all via the Adobe settings site, don't know if some site function would be impaired by doing that.  Anyway here's Flash Cookie Cleaner:

[EDIT- It has come to my attention that Download.com has begun wrapping downloads from their site in an installer which wants to install toolbars and such unless a person specifically "opts out" of those during installation.  The link I have provided below is to the FlashCookieCleaner site; however, clicking on their "Download" button routes a person to Download.com to get the actual download.  I'm going to leave the link here, but please be warned to pay attention if you install the software and specifically OPT OUT OF ANY LITTLE EXTRAS during the installation. - end edit]

http://www.flashcookiecleaner.com/

Like I said, I love it, thanks Doc.

Unfortunately, many different sites install this type of cookie now (not just flash). The 'great' thing about these cookies (besides tracing you on the net) is their ability to install other cookies without your consent.

There really should be a law against them.

I don't allow first or third party cookies with the exception of listed sites and only first party from those. I guess it helps but after reading the article I'm not sure how much.

Makes me wonder how much garbage I've got out there if for no other reason that just the junk file syndrome.  I know the first time I got rid of the Flash Cookies it was a huge pile.  Cleaning out the user settings directories is a huge PITA and a great way to break things if you're not careful.

Bastards.

So flash cookies are different then just normal browser cookies?

Yep.  Deleting browser cookies doesn't get rid of them.  If you want to cringe, have a look at the directory.  I don't know exactly what it is on Win7 or Vista, but it's probably similar to what it is on XP:

C:\Documents and Settings\[User]\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player\macromedia.com\support\flashplayer\sys\

And that's just the directory I know about, the one Flash Cookie Cleaner keeps clean.  Who know where else cookies are getting written to.

Paranoid are we? The cookie monster is out to get you!

 How about covering your webcam or turning it the opposite way so "the spies" can't see you?

Don't use a touchscreen computer, or someone will find a way to steal your fingerprints too.

Good Grief.

CCleaner will also get rid of flash cookies 

Nah, not so much.  I have to admit though I'm not crazy about little tag-a-longs following me around wherever I go mainly just on principle, I don't buy into the glass house trend.  I'm definitely not crazy about them dropping little mouse turds all over my hard drive while they do it, messy little pests.

Install Better Privacy if you're using firefox. If you're not using firefox, install firefox.

BetterPrivacy can be used in Pale Moon too.

Best regards,
Steven.

No matter extensions, etc. ie9 has far better anti-socially engineered malware protection than other browsers, hands down.

I don't recommend the x64 ie9 because the java engine is poor/broken. The x486 ie9, while ugly, is just great, as is Comodo-Dragon.

This link eventually took me to C-Net... and a wrapped installer was on offer.... could tell because the file name had exe.exe.  Files at C-Net that are not wrapped have only one exe, so I read.

Ya Jafo's post about C-Net Download.com was what prompted me to stick that warning in there.  I had installed the program a few months ago before CNet started screwing around.

Since this thread was sinking nicely to the bottom of the stack I decided the best thing to do was edit to stick the warning in there and just let it keep dropping.  I could delete the link but it's not FlashCookieCleaner's fault, it'd be kind of like deleting a link I'd made to WinStep or whatever.  Hopefully CNet will straighten up.

Hopefully!!!  I know that it wasn't your fault, that your intentions were good, so my post was not a reflection on you but the lousy practice C-Net sees fit to inflict on people.

Nah I just thought a little explanation was in order as the situation did cause me to scratch my head a little bit.

There is some irony here that just can't be beat - Here's a nice simple little program that somebody made available for free, designed to help users avoid unwanted (primarily marketing) cookies, so what does C-Net do?  Wrap it up in adware designed to install by default.

2 C this again

Flash cookies are Stalkerware. They are designed to record where you go on the web (not if in incognito mode (I believe).

A great article about them and the software (Browser) extensions to remove them. There are Chrome extensions as well as Firefox ones.

Puts "Silverlight" in question.

http://www.websiteadministrator.com.au/articles/flash-super-cookie-the-local-shared-object.html

Third-party advertisers on the site were still employing the flash cookies, along with another type that takes advantage of the browser's cache, where online data is stored on the computer so it can be delivered faster. This ETag tracking allows advertisers to monitor users, even when they block all cookies and use a private browsing mode.

This is the part of the article Doc linked in Reply 20 that really bugs me, from Page 2, second section:

"Mostly, we can find the Flash Local Shared Objects in various \Macromedia\Flash Player\ directory paths but this is not always the case. The LSO uses a .sol extension so we can also search for any files that use this suffix. Therefore, to search where the Local Shared Objects are on your computer, you can use your normal search option and search for the term *.sol in the "find files or folders" on your computer's data drives. By including the asterisk as a wildcard means that the search will return any result that uses .sol as a filename extension. And this does not mean all *.sol items found on your computer are flash cookies. Removal is best carried out with the aid of one of the programs and/or the adobe tool as referenced later in this article."

It sounds like people can put these things anywhere they want and it makes me wonder if the removal tools can really keep up, short of doing complete hard drive searches.

Well, seems that the best way is to clear them out with extensions unless you do a full search with *.sol as the search object.

Advertisers.... nearly as bad as bankers, ethically..... but a darned sight more annoying with their 'plague everyone' mentality.

Like bankers, advertisers should be castrated so they cannot spawn more of their kind with their foul seed.

Okay, that might be a little extreme for some..... so how about putting something in the water coolers in advertising offices... banks too?

I had, I say HAD, 97 files with the .sol extension. shame on them.

you can alter your flash settings from here:

http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager02.html

think this is what snoopy doc refered to in reply #1, Nope that was general, this appears to be specific?