Does Bogleheads Forum use cookies or track its users?

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Caduceus
Posts: 3527
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2012 1:47 am

Does Bogleheads Forum use cookies or track its users?

Post by Caduceus »

The title explains itself, but I was hoping the moderators / people who run the board could offer some clarification. Does this board use cookies of the sort that would allow them to identify its users or track them? Or that would have any privacy-related implications?
sycamore
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Joined: Tue May 08, 2018 12:06 pm

Re: Does Bogleheads Forum use cookies or track its users?

Post by sycamore »

I'm not an admin but I'll give this thread a bump with an answer.

The Bogleheads forum uses the "phpbb" forum software. The same question was asked in the phpbb forum. There are three cookies. One is for your boglehead user ID, another for your "session ID", and a third for the session key. These things are needed so the forum software can do its job (allow you to make postings, keep track of what posts you haven't read yet, etc.).

There's also another cookie "wikiUserName" but I guess that's only present for users who asked to be wiki editors.

I don't see any privacy issues related to these cookies.
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LadyGeek
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Re: Does Bogleheads Forum use cookies or track its users?

Post by LadyGeek »

I am an admin and agree with sycamore's answer. Wiki editors have a few cookies which are issued by the wiki software.

Here is the forum's privacy policy for Cookies:
Browsing the forum may cause the forum software to create one or more cookies, which are small text files that are downloaded to your web browser's temporary files. Cookies do not include personally identifiable information. The cookies are used to allow you to log on automatically if desired, allow the web server to verify your user id so you can move from page to page without re-logging in, and to store which topics you have recently browsed so you have the option of viewing only new posts. If you refuse our site's cookies, you will still be able to view pages, but may not be able to post or use other membership functions.
Wiki To some, the glass is half full. To others, the glass is half empty. To an engineer, it's twice the size it needs to be.
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