So there are accounts on this board that were created just to stuff cookies. I’m not sure how common understanding is for this practice, but it’s going on, so I wanted to post something about it.
Cookie stuffing is basically a way of forcing a cookie onto someone’s machine without them actually having to click through. On message boards, a common way to stuff cookies is by adding a certain broken image embed to a post. Even though the image doesn’t load, an associated cookie does load for everyone who views the page that the post was on.
What is the purpose of the cookies? Usually it’s a way to get fraudulent commissions. For example, the cookie may be the referral cookie for an affiliate program, like Amazon’s. If anyone who viewed the page goes to Amazon afterward while the cookie is still active, they will be treated as the stuffer’s referral, and they will earn a commission on anything the browser buys. It should be pretty clear why it’s a bad thing for the company, and why it’s a bad idea to let them keep it up.
The account Denise85, as of right now, has 6 posts, all with broken IMG tags referencing either a nonexistent or one pixel image, designed to stuff cookies. I was in the process of reporting it, but I wasn’t sure how the report would be received since some of the posts are prety on-topic and most people aren’t familiar with cookie stuffing. That’s why I started this thread: so people would be able to identify and report it, and so the admins would get what the purpose of the report is.
More information is available on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cookie_stuffing