Microsoft Drops Use of 'Supercookies' On MSN

Trailrunner7 writes "In response to work by Stanford University researchers who found that Microsoft and several other high-profile companies were using a controversial technique to keep persistent cookies on users' PCs to track their movements, Microsoft says it has discontinued the practice of using so-called 'supercookies.' In July, Jonathan Mayer, a graduate student at Stanford, revealed that some companies were still employing techniques that enabled browser history sniffing, which give the companies information on what sites users have visited and what links they've clicked on. The research also found that some companies were using cookies that re-spawn even after users have deleted them. Microsoft was using this technique on one of its sites, MSN.com, and now the company said that it is no longer doing so."

Microsoft is Fixing the Problem

[northerner]

It seems that Microsoft is trying to do the right thing by removing the use of supercookies.

Why not list the names of the other companies using these cookies so we can avoid them rather than single out Microsoft who is doing something about it?

Did anyone find the article listing the companies found to be using supercookies in July? "In July, Jonathan Mayer, a graduate student at Stanford, revealed that some companies..."

We may avoid the offending sites, but usually we won't know if advertisers on those sites are using them.