)
- near the lower-right corner of the browser window whenever a site that
- fits the category sets a cookie. When this icon is displayed, you can click
- it to get information about the affected cookies.A cookie is a small amount of information on your computer that is used by - some sites. For a brief overview, see - What Are - Cookies and How Do They Work?
- -Before loading a web page that uses cookies, your browser handles the - page's cookies by doing two things:
- -You can specify how cookies should be handled by setting your Cookies
- preferences. The default setting is Allow all cookies
.
To change your Cookies preferences:
- -For more information about the effect of each setting, see - Privacy & Security Preferences - Cookies.
- -[Return to beginning of - section]
- -To set cookie permissions for the current site:
- -To set cookie permission for several sites - or a site you are not viewing, use the Cookie Manager.
- -If you have selected Ask for each cookie
in
- Privacy & Security Preferences -
- Cookies, you will be warned (while browsing) that a web site is asking to
- set a cookie. When you see such a warning, you can choose to
- Allow, Allow for Session, or Deny the cookie.
Other dialog options:
- -allowor -
denyresponse will still be in effect.
If you want to change a remembered response later, use the Cookie Manager - to edit stored cookies and - add or remove cookie sites.
- -To stop automatically accepting or rejecting cookies from a site:
- -[Return to beginning of section]
- -To view detailed information about cookies:
- -For more information about the information displayed, see - Stored Cookies.
- -[Return to beginning of section]
- -Important: To remove cookies, follow the steps in this - section. Do not try to edit the cookies file on your computer.
- -To remove one or more cookies from your computer:
- -Even though you've removed the cookies now, you will reacquire those - same cookies the next time you return to the site.
- -To prevent that from happening, select the checkbox labeled Don't
- allow sites that set removed cookies to set future cookies
. When this
- checkbox is selected, sites for the cookies that you are removing are
- added to the list of sites whose cookies will automatically be rejected.
You must click OK for your changes to take effect.
- -[Return to beginning of section]
- -Many sites develop and publish their privacy policies based on the - Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P) standard. The information that follows - applies only to sites that post a privacy policy based on the P3P standard - and the browser's implementation of that standard. The browser's - implementation may not be, in all cases, identical to the standard published - by the World Wide Web Consortium.
- -A site's P3P privacy policy describes, in a standardized way, what - kind of information the site collects, to whom it gives that information, and - how it uses the information. For information about viewing a site's - privacy policy, see Viewing Privacy - Policies.
- -&brandShortName;'s implementation of the P3P standard defines three - levels of privacy: low, medium, and high (the default is medium). You can - select one of these predefined privacy levels, or you can specify your own - custom privacy settings in detail. Once you have set your preferred privacy - level, your browser can compare your preferences with the site's P3P - policy (if any) and accept or reject cookies accordingly.
- -For example, your privacy settings may require the browser to reject cookies - that collect personal information without informing you. Alternatively, you - can adjust your privacy settings so that the browser simply warns you when a - cookie is used in this way, while allowing the action to take place.
- -To control the privacy settings you want your browser to enforce for all - sites:
- -Allow cookies based on privacy - settings.
customand specify your own privacy settings as - discussed below.
Your browser handles cookies according to the settings you select. If you do - not select a preferred setting, the browser defaults to medium. The low, - medium, and high options are predefined by &brandShortName;. For more - information about these predefined options, see - Privacy Settings.
- -When the custom
option is selected, you can specify your own
- privacy settings in detail. Depending on the P3P policy of the site setting
- the cookie, and depending on whether or not the site setting the cookie is
- the one you are viewing, you can select whether you want the Cookie Manager
- to accept the cookie, reject it, accept it just for the current session (that
- is, until you exit the browser), or flag it.
If you choose Reject, Flag, or Session for a given category of cookies, the
- Cookie Manager displays the cookie notification icon
- ()
- near the lower-right corner of the browser window whenever a site that
- fits the category sets a cookie. When this icon is displayed, you can click
- it to get information about the affected cookies.
First party cookies
are cookies set by the site you are
- visiting. Third-party cookies
, also known as
- foreign cookies,
- are set by sites other than the one you are viewing.
For more details, see Privacy Settings.
- -[Return to beginning of section]
- -This section describes how to set your Cookies preferences and control other - aspects of cookie handling.
- -For step-by-step descriptions of various tasks related to cookies, see - Using the Cookie Manager.
- -Your browser is set by default to accept all cookies. This section describes - how to use the Cookies preferences panel to change that setting. If - you're not already viewing it, follow these steps:
- -Cookies help sites keep track of information for you, such as the - contents of your on-line shopping cart or which cities' weather you want - to know about. For a brief overview, see - What Are - Cookies and How Do They Work?
- -You can select one of these options:
- -Note: Blocking cookies does not remove old cookies. By - blocking cookies you only block sites from setting new cookies, and old - cookies will still be sent to sites. To completely block a site from receiving - old cookies, you need to remove its cookies. -
- -Note: Per-site cookie permission
- supersedes default cookie setting. For example, if you allow a site to set
- cookies, the site can set cookies even if you choose Block cookies
.
-
If you allow cookies or do not change the default setting, you can also - select the following preferences:
- -You can also get more information about your stored cookies:
- -This section describes how to use the Stored Cookies tab of the Cookie - Manager. If you're not already viewing it, follow these steps:
- -The Stored Cookies tab lists all the cookies stored on your computer, the - sites they belong to, and their current status.
- -If you can't see the Status column, click the icon in the upper-right - corner of the table and select Status. This column indicates which cookies - have been flagged or accepted according to your - Privacy Settings.
- -When you select a cookie in this list, the following information about that - cookie appears in the bottom portion of the tab:
- -| Item | -Explanation | -
|---|---|
| Name | -The name assigned to the cookie by its originator. | -
| Information | -A string of characters containing the information a site tracks - for you. It might contain a user key or name by which you are - identified to the site, information about your interests, and so - forth. | -
| Host or domain | -Provides the name of the cookie's host or domain.
-
- A host cookie is sent back, during subsequent - visits, only to the server that - set it. - -A domain cookie is sent back to any site - that's in the same domain as the site that set it. A site's - domain is the part of its URL that contains the name of an - organization, business, or school—such as netscape.com or - washington.org. - |
-
| Path | -The file pathway. This is provided only if the cookie should be sent - back to all URLs that are on that path or lower. For example, - http://a.b/x/y/z.html means that the cookie can also be set - for path x/. | -
| Send For | -When this field is For encrypted connections onlyit means - that the browser checks the connection whenever the server asks for a - cookie and will not send it unless the connection is encrypted - (HTTPS). |
-
| Expires | -The date and time at which the cookie will be deactivated. The - browser regularly removes expired cookies from your computer. | -
To remove cookies, click one of these buttons:
- -Select this checkbox to prevent the cookies you remove from being added back - into the list later:
- -Even if you remove cookies now, you will reacquire those same cookies the - next time you return to the site. To prevent that from happening, select - this checkbox. When this checkbox is selected, sites for the cookies that - you are removing are added to the list of sites whose cookies will - automatically be rejected.
- -You must click Close for your changes to take effect.
- -This section describes how to use the Cookie Sites tab of the Cookie - Manager. If you're not already viewing it, follow these steps:
- -The Cookie Sites tab of the Cookie Manager lists the sites for which your - decisions have been remembered, and what your decisions were. It also allows - you to add and remove sites from the list.
- -To add cookies sites manually:
- -To remove a cookie site:
- -Once you've removed a site from this list, Cookie Manager remembers
- nothing about it. If the Ask for each cookie
option is selected in
- the Cookies preferences panel, you will be warned when any site not in this
- list requests permission to set a cookie.
This section describes how to use the Privacy Settings window. If - you're not already viewing it, follow these steps:
- -Allow cookies based on privacy - settings.
For more information about using privacy settings, see - Setting Privacy Levels.
- -The level of privacy you set here determines how your browser treats cookies - according to privacy policies based on the P3P standard that published by - some sites and on the settings displayed under Cookie Acceptance Policy - for first-party and third-party cookies.
- -First party cookies
are cookies set by the site you are
- visiting. Third-party cookies
, also known as
- foreign
- cookies, are set by sites other than the one you are viewing.
You can select one of the following privacy levels:
- -When this setting is selected, the browser accepts all third-party
- cookies, but flags third-party cookies from sites that
- indicate they may collect personally identifiable information without
- your consent. Flagged cookies are listed as flagged
in the
- status column of the Cookie Manager's
- Stored Cookies tab.
When a cookie is first flagged, the Cookie Manager displays the cookie
- notification icon () near the
- lower-right corner of the browser window (if it's not already
- present). You can click the cookie notification icon to see more detailed
- information about the flagged cookies.
customare - whatever they happened to be just before you select this option. You can - modify them by selecting from the drop-down menus in the Cookie Acceptance - Policy portion of the dialog box.
To see the exact effect of each privacy-level setting, select it and then - examine the Cookie Acceptance Policy settings.
- -If you select the custom option in the top portion of the - Privacy Settings dialog box, you can choose one of four settings from the - drop-down list in each of the eight categories shown in the bottom portion. - These settings cause Cookie Manager to perform the following actions:
- -flaggedin the status column of the Cookie Manager's - Stored Cookies tab and display the cookie - notification icon.
The cookie notification icon () appears near the
- lower-right corner of the browser window. You can click it to get information
- about the affected cookies or modify your privacy settings.
Sites are classified in four categories for each of the two types - (first-party and third-party) of cookies:
- -The cookie notification icon () is displayed in the
- status bar near the lower-right corner of the browser window. It appears when
- a site has used a cookie in a way that requires you to be notified
- according to your current Privacy
- Settings.
This section describes how to use the Cookie Notification dialog box, which - appears when you click the Cookie Notification icon. You can take the - following actions from this dialog box:
- -Enable - all cookiesin Privacy & Security - Preferences - Cookies. After you take this action, your browser will - accept all cookies.
For more information about using privacy settings, see - Setting Privacy Levels.
- -Many sites require you to type a user name and password before you can - enter the site. For instance, personalized pages and sites containing your - financial information usually require you to log in.
- -The user name and password you use at a particular site can be read by the - site's administrator. Potentially, that person could then attempt to log - into other sites where you may have used the same user name and password. If - this concerns you, you may wish to use a different password at every site - with which you register.
- -Password Manager can help you remember some or all of your names and - passwords by storing them on your computer's hard disk, and entering - them for you automatically when you visit such sites.
- -When Password Manager is active (as it is by default), it gives you an - opportunity to save user names and passwords on your hard drive that you - enter while using the Internet.
- -For example, after you log onto a site from a page that requests a user
- name and password, a dialog box appears asking, Do you want Password
- Manager to remember this logon?
When you see this dialog box, you can
- click one of the following buttons:
Similarly, when you log onto an email account or an FTP site, or perform any - other action that requires the browser itself to display a special dialog box - for your login information, you can select this option in the dialog box:
- -The next time you check your email or perform other tasks that require a - password only, the password will be submitted directly without any further - action on your part. For tasks that require you to enter both a user name and - password, you need to click a Login button or equivalent after Password - Manager fills in the information.
- -Password Manager saves your user names and passwords on your own computer in - a file that's difficult, but not impossible, for an intruder to read. - See Encrypting Stored - Sensitive Information for information on protecting your stored user - names and passwords with encryption technology.
- -If the Password Manager dialog box described above does not appear when you - click Submit after typing your user name and password, Password Manager may - be turned off or the site may disallow its use.
- -To check whether Password Manager is currently active, see - Turning Password Manager On - and Off.
- -[Return to beginning of - section]
- -There are two different ways that Password Manager can fill in user names - and passwords on your behalf:
- -The next time you visit the site, Password Manager automatically fills - in your user name and password on the site's log in page. You can - then click the Login button, or equivalent, to send the information to - the server.
-Use - Password Manager to remember these values. - -
In most cases, the next time you attempt to access that server, Password - Manager automatically fills in your user name and password in the same - dialog box. You can then click OK to send the information to the - server.
- -In some cases, such as when you open your email account, - &brandShortName; needs to send only the password to the server, and does - so immediately without displaying the dialog box or requiring any further - action on your part.
-[Return to beginning of - section]
- -Password Manager is on by default. To turn it off:
- -Remember passwords- to turn Password Manager off.
To turn Password Manager on, follow steps 1 and 2 above, but select the - checkbox in step 3 rather than deselecting it.
- -[Return to beginning of - section]
- -To see the user names and passwords you have stored and to display a list of - sites from which logon information never is saved:
- -[Return to beginning of - section]
- -Many web pages contain forms for you to fill out—order forms for - online shopping, information databases, and so forth.
- -Form Manager can save the personal data you enter into online forms, such as - your name, address, phone, credit card numbers, and so on. This information - is stored on your hard drive. Then, when a site presents you with a form, - Form Manager can fill it in automatically.
- -By default, when you fill out an online form and click Submit, Form Manager - detects the form and displays a dialog box asking if you want to save the - personal data you just entered. Soon, Form Manager will have enough data to - begin filling out forms automatically.
- -There are two ways to save personal data:
- -Note that Form Manager prompts you only if its automatic notification - feature is turned on. (This feature is turned on by default.) For - details, see Turning Off - Form Manager Notification.
-When Form Manager asks if you want to save values that you've entered - in a form (the first method described above), it gives you three options:
- -You may want to do this if you want to ensure that you'll always - have to enter sensitive information manually at a particular site. You - can change your mind later if you like; for details, see - Editing Stored Site - Information.
-Form Manager stores your personal data on your own computer in a file - that's difficult, but not impossible, for an intruder to read. See - Encrypting Stored - Sensitive Information for information on protecting your information with - encryption technology.
- -[Return to beginning of section]
- -You can use the Form Manager to fill out forms automatically in two ways: - either one field at a time, or multiple fields at once. In both cases, the - information is not actually sent to the site until you click the Submit - button or perform some similar action.
- -To fill out a single field automatically in an online form, double-click in - the field. If Form Manager has stored the data for that field, it will fill - it in. You can edit the filled-in data if necessary.
- -To fill out multiple fields in an online form all at once:
- -Note that the Fill in Form menu item won't be accessible if the - Form Manager hasn't yet stored any relevant information.
-Important: You can also choose to bypass this dialog - box in the future. However, if you bypass this screen, you risk filling - in personal information (such as your credit card number) inadvertently. - For details, see below.
-The form is now filled in with the saved information. You may still need - to provide some additional information that the Form Manager does not - have available. The information is not actually sent to the site until - you click Submit or perform some similar action.
-In addition to providing a convenient way to confirm saved data and fill in - a form all at once, the Prefill Form Data dialog box is useful for two - reasons:
- -For example, it's possible for a site to hide a field on a form - where you can't see it and specify that field to be a credit card - number. If you prefill the form without first examining the information - displayed in the Prefill Form Data dialog box, you may end up providing - your credit card number to such a site without realizing it. Prefill - Form Data lets you see every value that will be provided to the site, - allowing you to detect such tricks.
-For a detailed description of the Prefill Form Data dialog box, see - Prefill Form Data.
- -[Return to beginning of section]
- -Form Manager is set to prompt you to save information whenever you submit an - online form that includes certain kinds of information, such as your name and - address. To stop these messages from appearing on your screen:
- -Save form data from web pages - when completing forms.
Note that deselecting this option turns off the notification feature, but - not Form Manager. The form data it may have already collected is still - available.
- -You can still open the Edit menu and choose Save Form Info any time you want - to save information from a form you've just filled in, or choose Fill in - Form (or double-click each field) to fill in a form automatically.
- -[Return to beginning of section]
- -To examine or edit personal data that Form Manager has saved:
- -The Form Manager dialog box for editing data appears. Click the - subcategories on the left to view or edit the corresponding data in the panel - on the right. To view subcategories that aren't visible, double-click a - category to expand the list.
- -To add information not currently included in one of the drop down lists on - the right, select the blank item and start typing. Similarly, select existing - text to edit or delete it.
- -The last category on the left side, Other Saved Information, includes panels - for two special kinds of data:
- -[Return to beginning of section]
- -As explained in Saving Form Data, you can
- choose Never for this site
when Form Manager prompts you to save
- data you've entered in a form. Similarly, you can choose not to display
- the Prefill Form Data dialog box on a site-by-site basis.
Form Manager lets you change your mind about these decisions at any time. To - view site-specific information about your saved form data:
- -The Form Manager dialog box for managing sites appears:
- -To remove a site from either list and thus restore the default behavior, - select the site and click Remove. For more details, see - Form Manager - Sites.
- -[Return to beginning of section]
- -When you provide personal information such as your name, phone number, or - email address to a site, or when the site collects personal information in - other ways, the site can use the information for its own purposes (such as - shipping you a product or customizing your browsing experience) and can - potentially share it with others.
- -Before providing personal information on an online form, you must decide - whether or not you trust the site—just as you judge whether or not - you trust a catalog company before you provide your credit card number on the - company's order form.
- -One way to evaluate a site's trustworthiness is to examine its - published privacy policy. Sites publish privacy statements online, and - some of them publish such statements based on the Platform for Privacy - Preferences (P3P) standard and the browser's implementation of that - standard.
- -A site's privacy policy describes what kind of information the site - collects, to whom it gives that information, and how it uses the information. - Sites publish privacy policies in both human-readable form and as a file - that can be interpreted by the browser according to your - Privacy Settings.
- -To view a site's privacy policy, browse to the site and follow these - steps:
- -Many web pages are made up of a variety of text, images, advertisements, and - other elements, some of which may be controlled by different companies.
- -To view the same information for any individual element of the web page:
- -For more information on controlling your privacy, see - Setting Privacy Levels.
- -[Return to beginning of section]
- -When you fill out an online form, Form Manager normally detects the form - and, when you click Submit, gives you an opportunity to save the data you - entered.
- -This section describes the preferences and other settings that control the - way Form Manager works.
- -For step-by-step instructions on using these settings, see - Using the Form Manager.
- -This section describes how to use the Forms preferences panel. If you are - not already viewing it, follow these steps:
- -When you fill out an online form and click Submit, Form Manager displays a - dialog box that asks if you want it to save the form data you just entered - (but only some of the filled-in fields include standard ones such as name and - address).
- -If you click Yes at least some of the time, Form Manager will soon have - enough data to begin filling out forms automatically.
- -Form preferences allow you to
- -Note that deselecting this option turns off the notification feature, - but not Form Manager. The form data it may have already collected is - still available. You can still open the Edit Menu and choose Fill in Form - or Save Form Info.
-This section describes how to use the window that allows you to edit data - saved on your behalf by the Form Manager. If you are not already viewing this - window, follow these steps:
- -The Form Manager window for managing stored form data allows you to perform - two tasks:
- -To add information not currently included in one of the drop down lists - on the right, select the blank item and start typing. Similarly, select - existing text to edit or delete it.
-The last category on the left side, Other Saved Information, includes panels - for two special kinds of data:
- -However, if the Form Manager hasn't yet stored your first and last - name, it saves the full name (if you ask it to) as a single element in - the Concatenations panel.
-For step-by-step instructions on using the Form Manager, see - Using the Form Manager.
- -This section describes how to use the dialog box that allows you to edit - site information saved on your behalf by Form Manager. If you are not already - viewing it, follow these steps:
- -The Form Manager window for managing sites has two tabs:
- -Bypass this screen when prefilling - this form in the futureafter choosing Fill in Form from the Edit - menu. - -
If you remove an entry from this list, Form Manager will again give you - an opportunity to review form data for that site before filling it - in.
-Never for this sitein response to - the Form Manager's request to store form data. - -
If you remove an entry from this list, Form Manager will again ask - whether to store form data when you submit forms at that site (assuming - that the main Form Manager notification option has been selected in - Privacy & Security Preferences - Forms).
-Regardless of which tab you are viewing, you can remove entries from the - list as follows:
- -See the descriptions of each tab above for the consequences of removing - entries.
- -For step-by-step instructions on working with form data, see - Using the Form Manager.
- -This section describes the window that normally appears when you open the - Edit menu and choose Fill In Form.
- -However, the Fill in Form menu item is enabled only if you have previously - used Form Manager to save some form data and are now viewing a web page that - is requesting some of the same data. For step-by-step instructions on working - with form data, see Using the Form - Manager.
- -The Prefill Form Data window allows you to perform these actions:
- -Important: If you bypass this screen, you risk filling - in personal information (such as your credit card number) inadvertently. - For details, see Filling Out - Forms Automatically.
- -If you change your mind about this decision, you can restore the - Prefill Form Data window for this site. For details, see - Form Manager - Sites.
-If you use Password Manager or Form Manager to save passwords and personal - data, then this sensitive information is stored on your computer in a file - that's difficult, but not impossible, for an intruder to read.
- -For example, if your computer is in an area where unauthorized people have - access to it, it's possible for a determined person to read the file - containing your sensitive information.
- -For a greater degree of security, you may want to protect the file with - encryption. Encryption makes it much harder for an unauthorized person to - view your stored sensitive information.
- -Your decision about whether to use encryption for stored sensitive data is a - tradeoff between improved security and convenience.
- -If you use encryption, you will need to enter a master password - periodically, which can be inconvenient. If you don't, it may be easier - for a stranger who has access to your computer to steal your passwords.
- -To turn on encryption for your stored sensitive information:
- -Use encryption - when storing sensitive data.
To turn encryption off, deselect Use encryption when storing sensitive
- data
.
You must supply your master password when you turn encryption on or off.
- -[Return to beginning of - section]
- -If you choose to encrypt your stored sensitive information, you'll need - a master password. With encryption selected, you'll be asked for your - master password at least once during a browser session in which you access - any of your stored sensitive information.
- -If you choose encryption, but don't already have a master password, - you'll be prompted to create one the first time you try to save or - retrieve your sensitive information.
- -If your master password has not previously been set, you can set at this - time:
- -You see the Set Master Password dialog box.
-Make sure your new password is difficult to guess. For some suggestions on - how to improve password security, see the online document - Choosing - a Good Password.
- -[Return to beginning of - section]
- -To change your master password:
- -Make sure your new password is difficult to guess. For some guidelines, see - the online document - Choosing - a Good Password.
- -[Return to beginning of - section]
- -Normally, you are asked for your master password once during each browser - session during which you access any of your stored sensitive information.
- -It's also possible to require that your master password be requested - each time it is needed, or after a certain amount of time has passed. For - details, see Master - Password Timeout.
- -You can log out of your master password so that it must be entered again - before any sensitive information can be stored or retrieved. This is useful - if you are going to leave your computer unattended for a period of time.
- -To log out of your master password:
- -[Return to beginning of - section]
- -If you forget your master password and you have chosen to encrypt sensitive - data (see Encrypting - Stored Sensitive Information), you won't be able to access any of - the stored password and form data that it protects (assuming you have turned - on encryption. Your master password is your most important password. Make - sure you remember it or record it in a safe place.
- -As a last resort, it's possible to reset your master password if you - are sure you can't remember it. However, resetting your master password - permanently erases all the web passwords, email passwords, and form data - saved on your behalf by Password Manager and Form Manager. You will also lose - all your personal certificates associated with the - Software Security - Device.
- -Before taking this drastic step, read - Reset Master - Password.
- -If you are sure you can't remember or retrieve your master password, - follow these instructions to reset it:
- -[Return to beginning of - section]
- -If you wish, you can choose not to download any images when you browse the - web. This greatly restricts what you can view online, but may be helpful if - you have a slow connection and wish to shorten the time it takes web pages to - load.
- -You can also control how frequently animated images repeat their animation, - or turn off animation completely
- -The next section describes how to control these image settings. The default - settings allow all images to be accepted and allow them to repeat their - animation.
- -This section describes how to set preferences for images. To view the - preference settings for images:
- -Image Acceptance preferences allow you to control whether and where - Navigator displays images:
- -These settings control how many times animated images repeat their - animation:
- -Copyright © 2003-2005 The Mozilla Foundation.
- - -