Shopping Cart Software
by Beanbasket eCommerce Web Hosting

What is a Cookie?

Internet cookies contain text information stored on your computer. This information is either stored in the memory of the Internet browser or on your hard drive. The creator of the cookie has the option of determining whether or not a cookie should stay around after you close your browser. By default, Beantree cookies will only last the lifetime you have your browser open. For those cookies that are placed on your hard drive, they can be identified through your browser options. Before we create these cookies, adequate disclosure is given. In some instances, we give you the ability to control the creation of these "long term" cookies.

Once a particular cookie is created, the cookie can only be exchanged with the same web server that created the cookie. This limits the exchange of any information stored in a cookie to those specific sites that needed to create them. Where greater security is required within a particular site, a cookie can also be created to only be sent on a secure connection. More information can be obtained through our Site Security section.

Why are Cookies used?

By nature, the Internet offers a stateless medium for interaction. What does this mean? Basically, this stateless environment does not work well with applications that must make a distinction between your connection and another connection. The creation of a cookie makes it easier for an application to do the tracking that it needs to. With something to uniquely identify you, an application can keep track of the items in your shopping cart versus the items that may be in your neighbor's shopping cart.

What is stored in Cookies?

Typically, we identify you through the use of your unique login or through a session id generated by our systems. This login is unique to the specific application that you are using. We do not use your email address for logins, unless you elect to use your email address in an application that allows you to choose your login. Because these logins are application specific, they cannot be misused by any of our other online applications that make use of cookies.

If a session id is generated and stored in the cookie, this id is used by our applications to store any information necessary within our session tracking system. This does not save or store any other information in the cookie, nor is it transmitted to your browser in any other form. This id is only accessible to Beantree applications which have direct access to our session tracking system.

At times, we also use cookies on certain pages of our site to make it easier to get access to those applications. Cookies allow you to enter your password less frequently during a session. You are able to decline cookies, but you may be required to reenter your login or other information more frequently.

Detecting Cookies

Many modern browsers offer the ability for you to recognize when a particular website is attempting to send you a cookie. This is typically enabled through your Internet browser options. Please consult your browser vendor for more information on how to change the settings that relate to cookies.