Signature Rules & External Cookies

[Logikos]

I'm abit confused on what an external cookie is. What does it do, how can you tell if one is setting an external cookie, and can it be harmful? The reason why I ask is, I received private message from a moderator here at vBulletin.org stating that my signature needs to be changed as it was setting an external cookie.

The last time I changed my signature was about a week ago, that is when I added the image. Since then I haven't touched anything. Now I'm being accused for setting an external cookie. I replied to the private message stating that I don't know what an external cookie really is, what is does, or how to even set something up like that.

The reply I received was:

It is not setting a cookie now, so i don't know what you have changed.

I was a little disappointed in the with that reply and how this moderator approached me. Normally I won't take such matters to the public, but accusing me of such behavior is one thing; calling me a liar is another. So could someone please explain to me what this does.

[Tony G]

Can't say I'm too sure myself what it is, but I can tell you didn't set it up yourself. It may have been someone else touching it, or an error in the moderators judgement. We're not perfect, we're going to make mistakes sometimes, you have to accept that fact. It's easy to blame the mod for getting it wrong, just have to understand these things happen.

And Brinnie, if you have nothing relevant to add to the thread, don't bother spamming it. Thank you.

[Logikos]

Yes, I do understand that people make mistakes. I make them quite often, and I'm not one to jump and judge on someones case for nothing.

Next time i will make a screenshot as proof. For now let's call it gremlins at work.

I just think the approach could have been more professional then it was. I tried searching Google in what an external cookie can do, but I had no luck find anything, and Brinnie; please don't get involved in conversations if you don't have anything relevant to say.

I should also mention I'm the only person with FTP access to my site.

[Revan]

Well, an educated guess would be that an external cookie is something set not by the site you are visiting, but by an element originating elsewhere.
So for instance, if your sig had set a cookie on my computer to save some display preferences (an interactive sig, maybe? ), that would be classified as an external cookie. Not vBulletin.org native.

Course, I may be wrong

[Marco van Herwaarden]

An external cookie is, like already mentioned above, a cookie set by another website/domain then the one you are visiting. When using IE with medium security settings you will see a stop-sign in your statusbar whenever one of those is blocked. By clicking on the status symbol, you can see which url/domain tried to set the cookie.

I was the moderator in question asking Live Wire to change his cig, after i had a warning for a blocked cookie, and the status report mentioned a cookie set by http://www.vbhackers.com to be blocked.

After the first reply by Live Wire on my PM request to change it, i checked again on a page where his sig was visisble, and no warnings where given anymore. I don't know what has changed in this time or by who, so i offered to call it gremlins at work. Sorry to see that you see this as calling you a liar. If i wanted you to think that i was calling you a liar, i would have used that word and not blamed the gremlins.

PS Next time if you feel you have a disagreement with a staff member, please follow our rules, and contact an admin in private.

[Logikos]

Originally Posted by MarcoH64

PS Next time if you feel you have a disagreement with a staff member, please follow our rules, and contact an admin in private.

I contacted Jelsoft instead.

[Marco van Herwaarden]

That is also an option, although Jelsoft is not involved in the daily running of this website. It gives something to think about however that you decided to also post this in public, after you have already contacted Jelsoft.

Since you are already discussing this in privat with Jelsoft, i think this thread can be closed.