May 02, 2005
Atlas Backtracks on Cookie Data
Just a week after casting doubt on research showing users deleting Internet tracking cookies, aQuantive's Atlas research unit revised its findings, concurring that cookie deletion is a problem.
In a report released last week, Atlas said it found a significant gap between users' self-reported cookie deletions and the actual cookie lifespan on their computers. Like surveys done by Jupiter Research and Nielsen//NetRatings, Atlas found 43 percent of respondents said they deleted cookies weekly. However, instead of an average cookie lifespan of 7 days, it was 45 days for those users. Similarly, the 14 percent who said they erased cookies monthly had cookies lasting an average of 59 days, rather than 30 days.