Quick definition: Flash cookies, also known as Local Shared Objects, are data files stored on a computer by Adobe Flash Player. They track user activity and store preferences more persistently than standard browser cookies.
Explanation
Flash cookies, officially known as Local Shared Objects (LSOs), are data files created by Adobe Flash Player that websites use to store information on a user’s computer. They function similarly to traditional HTTP cookies by saving user preferences, site settings, and progress in web-based games, but they operate independently of the web browser. This means they are stored in a different directory on the hard drive and are accessible across different browsers on the same device. Because they can hold up to 100KB of data—significantly more than the 4KB limit of standard cookies—and lack an expiration date, they were often used for persistent tracking.
A common misconception is that clearing your browser’s history or cookies will delete Flash cookies; in reality, standard browser tools often miss them, allowing them to “respawn” deleted HTTP cookies. Another myth is that they are still a major threat today. While they highlight significant privacy lessons, the decline of Adobe Flash technology and modern browser security updates have made them largely obsolete for most internet users.
Why it matters
- – Helps maintain your preferences and progress in older online games and video players that still use legacy Flash technology
- – Prevents advertisers from recreating deleted browser cookies, a technique known as respawning, which helps you maintain better control over your digital footprint
- – Reduces the risk of cross-browser tracking, ensuring that your activities in one web browser are not easily linked to your sessions in another
How to check or fix
- – Access the global storage settings for your media player to view and manage data stored by various websites
- – Manually delete locally stored objects by navigating to the specific application folders on your operating system’s hard drive
- – Adjust storage limits to zero or block third-party storage within the media player’s management panel to prevent new data from being saved
- – Use your web browser’s private or incognito mode to ensure that session data is automatically cleared when you close the window
- – Periodically use a system cleaning utility to detect and remove hidden tracking files that standard browser clearing methods might miss
- – Disable the outdated media player component entirely in your browser settings or uninstall it from your system to eliminate the risk of persistent tracking
Related terms
HTTP Cookie, Local Shared Object, Cookie Respawning, Tracking Cookie, Browser Fingerprinting, Privacy Policy
FAQ
Q: What are Flash cookies?
A: Flash cookies, also known as Local Shared Objects, are data files stored on your device by Adobe Flash Player to save preferences and tracking information.
Q: How do Flash cookies differ from standard browser cookies?
A: Unlike standard cookies, Flash cookies are stored outside the browser’s regular folders and cannot be managed or deleted through typical browser privacy settings.
Q: Are Flash cookies still a common security concern?
A: While mostly obsolete since Adobe discontinued Flash Player in 2020, they can still exist on legacy systems or archived applications and require specialized tools to remove.