Cookies are placed on your PC by websites you visit. They are often necessary when shopping or banking online, ie. you need to have cookies 'enabled' in your browser or the sites won't work properly. However, when browsing or surfing the internet, you should 'block' all cookies because many sites will otherwise place cookies on your PC to track your browsing habits; they can also be used for planting spyware. Usually, they aren't necessary and you should be suspicious of sites that insist on setting cookies unless you believe they are sites that can be trusted; healthy scepticism is to be encouraged.

Most browsers have settings to block cookies, prompt before accepting them or enable them by exception. Before browsing the internet, it is important to ensure you configure the cookies' settings in every web browser you use.

Firefox

For comprehensive information on configuring Firefox: http://www.mozilla.org/support/firefox/options

Go to Edit > Preferences > Privacy > Cookies

Uncheck 'Allow sites to set cookies'

When you need to enable cookies: check 'Allow sites to set cookies' and 'for the orginal website only' and 'Keep Cookies until I close Firefox'

Alternatively you can enter sites that are allowed to set cookies in the 'Exceptions' list

We recommend that you select the button 'View Cookies' regularly to check whether any undesirable cookies have been placed on your PC. There is an option to remove the ones you highlight.

Internet Explorer

You can access detailed support information for Microsoft's products at: http://support.microsoft.com/

In Internet Explorer on Windows XP, Go to Tools > Options > Privacy > Advanced

• Check 'Override automatic cookie handling'
• Check 'Prompt' First Party Cookies
• Check 'Block' Third Party Cookies
• Check 'Always allow session cookies'

To ensure unwanted cookies are removed, Go to Tools > Options > Advanced and in the Security section check 'Empty Temporary Internet Files Folder when browser is closed'

To allow exceptions: Go to Tools > Options > Privacy > Sites