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http://www.aarweb.org/About_AAR/Technology/Cookies/default.asp
Cookies and Scripting
Cookies and JavaScript are browsing enhancements used on the AAR website. Because some people are concerned about security issues relating to these technologies, we have prepared the following information. Below you will find information as to whether your Web browser supports cookies and JavaScript and a description of cookies and JavaScript.
Your Web Browser
The boxes below will indicate whether your particular Web browser is configured to support cookies and JavaScript. These boxes are labeled by number to facilitate telephone conversations with AAR staff about difficulty with cookies and scripting
Firewalls
Some firewalls will interfere with cookie handling. And some of those firewalls will handle cookies such that this page will report that cookies are being handled properly when, in fact, they are not. If you have exhausted other solutions, try disabling your firewall briefly to see if it resolves any difficulty that cookie handling may have caused.
Cookies
Cookies are small bits of information that are stored on the user's computer to facilitate work in the website. An example of cookie usage with which most Web users are familiar is employed when you visit a weather forecasting site. Typically, when you visit such a site for the first time, you are asked for your location. Then, on subsequent visits, you are automatically shown the weather for your location. This is possible because a cookie is stored on your computer letting the website know the location for which you are interested in a forecast. If you change computers, you will need to re-enter the location, because the cookie will still reside with the old computer.
Cookies are automatically enabled in Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. Some people, however, are concerned that cookies pose a security risk, and therefore they set their Web browsers to reject cookies. You can look in the box at the top of this page to see if cookies are accepted by your Web browser. You will have to make your own decision about whether to accept or reject cookies, but the following information should inform your decision:
- Some functions of the AAR website are only available if cookies are enabled.
- Most cookies used on the AAR website are "non-persistent" or "session" cookies, meaning that they are written without expiration dates. Non-persistent cookies disappear as soon as you close your Web browser.
- "Persistent" cookies – which are stored on the site visitor's computer so that they will be available the next time that individual returns to the AAR website – are written only when it is essential to carry information from one site visit to the next. An example of persistent cookie usage on the AAR website is that information regarding an individual's previous visit to some pages is stored so that a "New" notice can be provided where appropriate with items on that page. You can see the contents of specific "persistent" cookies at the Check Content of Persistent Cookies page.
- While using cookies to enhance the functionality of the this website, we have made every effort to use them sparingly and responsibly.
- Cookies store only the information that we have received directly from you (usually on Web forms or from membership applications). We do not use cookies to obtain information other than that which you have provided us. (Indeed, cookies are designed so that they cannot be used for such a purpose, even if the AAR or another organization wanted to do so.)
- Our purpose in using cookies is to enhance the functionality of the website to increase its usefulness.
Scripting
Client-side scripting on the AAR website is currently limited to JavaScript. ("Client-side" means that the scripting is being processed by your computer rather than the "server-side" computer on which the web page is stored.)
JavaScript is a programming language that Web browsers are able to execute. (It is sometimes referred to as "JScript" and "ECMAScript"; technically, JavaScript and JScript are very similar implementations of the ECMAScript protocol – but it is not unreasonable to refer to them interchangeably.) The scripting language is designed to be incapable of causing harm to the user's computer – but security holes are occasionally reported. While there is some dispute as to whether such holes could cause genuine damage in the real world, it is best to stay vigilant. A good defense against malicious use of JavaScript (as well as other scripting technologies) is to maintain the most current version of your Web browser. You can download the most recent version of Internet Explorer at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/.
JavaScript is automatically enabled in Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. Some people, however, are concerned that JavaScript poses a security risk, and therefore they set their Web browsers to reject it. You can look in the box at the top of this page to see if JavaScript is supported by your Web browser. You will have to make your own decision about whether to enable JavaScript, but the following information should be considered:
- Some functions of the AAR website are only available if JavaScript is enabled.
- JavaScript on the AAR website is not used to capture personal information
- Any JavaScript action which could affect your computer will only function in response to a direct input from you (e.g., "Click this button to bookmark this page").
- While using JavaScript to enhance the functionality of the this website, we have made every effort to use it sparingly and responsibly.
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Typical examples of use of JavaScript in the AAR
website are
- To give the user word counts of text,
- To provide alerts with important information, and
- To provide real-time clocks.
- Our purpose in using JavaScript is to enhance the functionality of the website to increase its usefulness.
Enabling Cookies and Scripting
The AAR recommends the use of Internet Explorer. Because there are several different browsers in common use, and because each of them has different procedures, we cannot assist you in configuration of your computer. We recommend the following resources: (1) the Help screens on your browser; (2) your institution's technical support department; (3) the browser manufacturer's technical support service.
Please note that the default setting on Internet Explorer (and, to our knowledge, all other browsers) is that cookies are enabled. Thus, if this page reports that cookies are disabled, the settings must have been changed by you, someone in your department, or someone in your household. The person who adjusted those settings in the first place may be able to assist in re-enabling cookies.
N.B.: If you need to contact your institution's technical support department regarding this issue, we strongly suggest that you take care with terminology. The term "cookies" refers to a browser option that can be enabled or disabled; "cookies" are not something possessed either by you or your browser. The correct way to phrase the request is, "I need to have cookies enabled on my computer." In a kitchen you might say, "I don't have cookies" – but you should not say this with regard to computers.
