Happily I report the media has virtually lynched Wall Street Journal tech columnist Walter Mossberg for his report that basically said tracking cookies are bad and should be deleted – especially 3rd party cookies. I first discovered the article via this blog at ThreadWatch.org then immediately started a discussion that got pretty heated over at the AffiliateManager.net forums.

Eric from the Jupiter Reseach Blogs said: “Regarding my earlier comments about external pressures on cookies, imagine you’re the average WSJ reader who has been on the fence about cookies based on the recent spate of coverage and Walter Mossberg tells you that he believes tracking cookies to be spyware and that if you don’t want to be spied upon when browsing you should reject these cookies. What would you do?”

Then Jeff Molander reported on ReveNews: WSJ’s Mossberg Ignites Cookie Furor. “Mossberg’s premise is a bit out-of-touch and definition of cookies focused exclusively on intent – a virtual non-issue… Yet among all of this controversy about the cookie we rarely hear discussion about how the growing “anti-cookie agenda” is having, and will continue to have, profound impact on this booming industry called affiliate marketing… The fact remains: cookie deletion has impact on affiliate marketing to the tune of lost revenues for affiliates and affiliate networks. To what degree?”

Next, just last Friday iMedia Connection reported that “Mossberg made no clear distinction between first party and third party cookies and lumped all of them together with adware/spyware since they meet his personal definition of spyware…” the article goes on to say “One of the oldtimers pointed out that Mossberg’s very own WSJ.com routinely uses first and third party cookies. Another suggested that the “spyware solutions” companies that often include all cookies in their “sweep” of user hard drives are behind the spate of negative consumer press on cookies of all flavors.”

Eat your words, Mossberg – not our affiliate tracking cookies!

MORE COOKIE NEWS, ADDED 7/28

Mediapost: All Cookies Are Tracking Cookies

iMedia Connection: The Cookie Campaign “eMarketer’s David Hallerman urges the online industry to join together to create a compelling campaign to save the cookie… By now it is clear that a significant number of users are deleting their cookies regularly — or rejecting them outright. Deletion rates vary widely, but the underlying behavior is plain to see.” This is a good article that is starting to focus on solutions.

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