Bitter cookies?

You wouldn't think a computer tool with an innocuous-sounding name like cookie" would create the fear that it does. But these tiny Web-browser helpers are an example of how the useful can get tossed in with the dangerous through the near-hysteria brought about by the real threats of computer viruses, hacking, spyware, spam and phishing.

Anti-spyware legislation considered by the U.S. Congress in the past and that likely to be Considered in the future may ban cookies from all Web sites that you haven't specifically permitted to place cookies on your computer's hard disk. At first glance, this seems like a good idea, but it would hurt the online advertising industry, and, for consumers, it would likely mean that there would be fewer free Web sites and more pay sites.

So what exactly are cookies, and are they really worth getting worked up about?

A cookie is a small data file that can serve a number of purposes. It can prevent you from having to log in with your user name and password each time you visit a site that requires a login. It can keep track of your preferences on those sites, allowing you to specify the type of content you want to see or how you want to see it. It can be used by e-commerce security systems to identify your browser as a protection against hackers.

And it can be a way for Web sites and their advertisers to track where people click so they can better target their content and advertising.

It's this last purpose that most worries some people who feel that it allows Big Brother to peer over their shoulder and watch them as they surf. On the other hand, the first purpose--storing user names and passwords--is more of a threat. Both threats, though, are overblown.

Still, one potential problem with cookies, is the theft of the user name and password information in them by hackers who could then access your bank, credit card, or other accounts. The solution here, as with other hacking threats, is to use a firewall program to protect this and other sensitive data on your computer.

The big concern, though, is third-party cookies, which are set not by the site you're at, but typically by Web banner advertising companies such as DoubleClick.

But keep in mind, that cookies aren't spyware. Advertisers and the companies that service them use cookies to track aggregate behavior and to customize ads, preventing you, for instance, from seeing the same ad over and over at different sites. They don't link what you do on the Web to who you are.

The core issue is who pays for Web content. Just as with other media, if you diminish ad revenue, the money has to come from somewhere else, and in this case that means you.

If Congress passes anti-spyware legislation that bans cookies you don't specifically agree to accept, you would need to click on an "OK" dialog box, agreeing to accept cookies, multiple times, page after page, as you surf any given Web site. This obviously would render cookie technology unwieldy and require an alternative technology, which could take a year or longer to develop, said Dave Morgan, CEO of TACODA Systems, an online advertising services firm in New York City that helps large publishers target their online ads.

In the meantime, some sites would likely switch to subscriptions for the bulk of their content rather than keeping most of their content free.

If you're still concerned with cookies, and many people are, you have options. Web browsers let you disable third-party cookies, disable all cookies, or otherwise customize how you deal with them.

Internet Explorer saves cookies in separate files in the cookies folder. Netscape saves cookies in a single file called cookies.txt.

The Web site GetNetWise provides instructions on how to change your browser's settings to customize how it manages cookies, whether you use Internet Explorer 6 or 5, AOL 8, 7, 6 or 5, Netscape Navigator 7, 6 or 4.5, or Opera 6 or 5. Disabling all cookies, however, can limit your experience with some sites and prevent you from accessing other sites.

DoubleClick's Web site gives you the choice of opting out of its site-to-site cookie tracking, as does the Web site for the Network Advertising Initiative, whose privacy principles are followed by DoubleClick and other similar online advertising services.

The personal computer revolution is all about personal choice, and this includes cookies.

Reid Goldsborough is a syndicated columnist and author of the book "Straight Talk About the Information Superhighway. "He can be reached at [e-mail] or www.netaxs.com/~reidgold/column.