As a matter of fact, Google, the world's most popular search
engine with millions of searches in over 100 languages, also uses
cookies that expire in 2035.
But how does this all matter to you? Does erasing your cookies makes
you invisible, invincible and not traceble?
Totally wrong! However,
cookies are the most popular privacy invading concept on the Internet,
and if you start filling in privacy conscious individuals into the
basics of timing attacks, remote physical devices fingerprinting, or distributed surveillance possibilities, they'll end up thinking you're paranoid -- for a reason!
What you MUST know concerning your privacy on the Internet is that, in today's globalized Internet, namely hundreds of countries participating, privacy laws, their enforcement or even understand of the important of the issue, tend to vary from country to country.
There are worst things that could happen to you compared to cookies, and I refer to them as Web Timing Attacks, and how practical they really are! Don't bother about cookies, given you wiped them out, that's the Cookie Monster's job :)
In case you are interested in further info on the topic you can take a look at the following :
How Web Server's Cookies Threaten Your Privacy
Local Shared Objects -- "Flash Cookies"
EPIC's Cookies Page
Search Privacy At Google & Other Search Engines
Bugnosis
Taking the Byte Out of Cookies
Technorati tags :
cookies, persistent cookies, privacy, security, information security