Technically Speaking

Very interesting article on cookies this morning. Not the chocolate chip kind obviously, but the computer kind

But this system of measurement has a well-known flaw: users are prone to delete their cookies, either manually or by using antispyware programs. Users who delete a cookie are eventually given a new one by that cookie’s issuer, meaning that they are often counted as unique visitors, inflating the numbers at host sites.

I wonder if there is a way to figure out who is fudging their numbers? It is quite obvious to me at least that many sites are counting on you asking for a new cookie nearly daily. Not to mention the spy sweeper type of programs that automatically clean up your cookie mess daily. The sad part as noted below, is a key element that advertisement dollars look at

Cookies let online hosts determine the number of unique visitors they reach, a key metric for advertisers.

Technically Speaking, there has to be a better way.