WATCH THAT GOOGLE

NSA Uses Cookies to Find Targets

Don’t contain personal information, but help identify browsers.

If you have the cookies enabled on your computer, this is a pretty good reminder to change that. The National Security Agency apparently uses advertising “cookies” to pinpoint targets for their widespread spying program, according to documents provided by leaker Edward Snowden. Cookies are commercial tracking devices on ads, and while they don’t reveal any personal information (such as your name or Social Security number), they identify which browser is being used. For years, cookies have been targeted by privacy advocates as being invasive, making Wednesday’s revelations even more disturbing. Oh and there’s more: NSA is also using information gathered from commercial sites to find mobile device users around the world.