The IT Law Wiki

Definition[]

A flash cookie (also called a local shared object) provides a means for Adobe Flash animations embedded within Web pages to store and retrieve information on a user's computer separate from traditional cookie files.[1] "Such cookies can contain up to 25 times more data than other cookies, do not expire at the end of a browsing session, and cannot be erased through web browser features such as 'clear history.'"[2]

Overview[]

"When a user deletes a browser cookie, the flash cookie 'respawns' the browser cookie without notice to or consent of the user. . . ."[3]

References[]

  1. See Electronic Privacy Information Center, Local Shared Objects — "Flash Cookies" (July 21, 2005) (full-text).
  2. Information Resellers: Consumer Privacy Framework Needs to Reflect Changes in Technology and the Marketplace, at 23.
  3. Bose v. Interclick, Inc., 2011 WL 4343517, 2011 US Dist. LEXIS 93663 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 17, 2011) (full-text).

External resources[]

  • Shannon Canty, Chris Jay Hoofnagle, et al., Flash Cookies and Privacy (Aug. 10, 2009) (full-text).