why is Yahoo dumping http://www.ip-adress.com/whois/zenfs.com cookies on our pc?

[Steve B]

These are known as '3rd party' cookies and are placed there to 'verify' your access to yahoo ... if you delete them, chances are you will have to 'log in' again every time you re-visit Yahoo questions ...

If your browser (Firefox) permits, by all means set "accept 3rd party" and 'keep until' "I close the browser" and they will be deleted automatically ...


Note Cookies are not 'spies' but DO record your visit to the site so THAT SITE can 'modify' what you see next time you visit - for example, take you to the last page you looked at (or 'verify' your 'log-in')

'3rd party' cookies are placed by one site site with an ID = some other (3rd party) site, so that should you visit (or be re-directed to) that other site it can 'detect' you have been to the first ..and also know where to 'redirect' you back again (in the case of Yahoo log-in)

A typical example would be a 'price comparison' site that 'marks' you with '3rd party' cookies intended for the site of every 'offer' it shows you .. so that should you visit one of the 'recommended offer' sites they will know where yopu came from (and give the price comparison site their 'fee')

... of course, knowing you have been to the price comparison site also lets the '3rd party' site 'adjust' the prices you are offered .... this can be positive (if they are trying to bid 'low') or negative (if they decide you are 'desperate' .. )