Cookies and Privacy

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704416904575502261335698370.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEFTTopNews

Back in 2001 the courts ruled that it was ok for websites to put cookies on an individual's computer to store user names and passwords for that user. Websites quickly took advantage of this though and started using them to track where people were going and what they were searching on the web. While these websites are simply gathering data (so they can better target their advertising in most cases), this seems like a bit of an invasion of privacy. People can delete these cookies, but there's a new thing called Flash Cookies that respawn as soon as they're deleted, which is the main focus of this lawsuit. Congress is also apparently considering creating a "do-not-track" list similar to the do-not-call list that will give individuals the right to opt out of tracking. One problem though is that if these suits hold up and congress were to go to the extreme and outlaw all cookies, websites claim that there's no way they could be free anymore since their income comes from advertisements and advertisers would be less inclined to use them without knowing their effectiveness. Basically it all comes down to whether we prefer privacy or these sites being free...