How do you stop unauthorized cookies from appearing in Safari?

Question

Hi ,
I'm using Safari 5.1.10 and system 10.6.8.  I've gotten all the security downloads available, but I seem to having issues with unauthorized  cookies appearing. These seem to appear even though I've not visited their websites, and have Safari set to accept cookies from only sites I've visited.
After going to Preferences:Privacy: remove all website data: then remove all cookies,
If I just wait a few minutes, I get 72 website cookies restored to  my computer, without doing anything. These include cookies from google, alibaba, 2mdn.net, facebook, microsoft, oracle and many more.  Some of these  declare they are using local storage, others the catch, while others just declare themselves as cookies.
These appear in spite of the fact that I have the preferences set to block cookies from third party advertizers, set Extensions to OFF, but have Javascript enabled, and allow Java, but deny all other plug-ins.
If I unclick the allow Java button in Preferences:security, then  11 of these cookies sneek back in, but the others seem to be blocked. Those that come back include Alibaba, apple, google-analytics, "local documents on my computer", machine-seeker, wikipedia, and a few others.
If I disable JavaScript in Preferences:Security, now I get only cookies from sites I've visited, as I'm supposed to, according to the settings in my Safari preferences.
So it seems that some unscrupulous information collectors are collecting data  even when the Safari settings should prohibit it. Unfortunately, some of the sites I visit ( Like Apple support communities)  require that Javascript be enabled, so I don't know how to stop this. 
The problem is that I've found these unwarrented cookies appear to slow down my internet connection speeds  by  ~ 95% ( Try removing them and disabling Javascript to see what happens) in addition to it being an invasion of my privacy. In addition, it really bothers me that some of these sites are storing local documents on my computer without permission.
As I've said, I've already installed ALL the pertinent security updates.  Does anybody have any idea how to stop this from happening? I presume this is also happening on my iphone and ipad as well, but haven't checked.
I see that Safari was sued by Apple in 2012 for doing just this same thing, but they appear to be up to their old tricks, as well as many other companies.
Thanks

Answer 1

Hi,
I've investigated this phenomena  of UNauthorized Cookies a bit more  in the past few days and found their cause  and uses goes very deep down the internet rabbit hole.  While most browsers allow the user to delete cookies, or to block cookies from third parties, third parties may place cookies or "cookie equivalents" on your computer through a large variety of back doors. The most pernicious type  of such cookie is euphemistically  called a "Zombie Cookie"  or a "supercookie".
These may reside in a number of places either in  your own computer or remotely on the web. Deleting zombie cookies or supercookies is generally ineffective, because they are reinstalled in your browser, or worse, just exchange information with your browser withouth leaving a trail of cookie crumbs, the next time you get online. Some of these zombie cookies are not browser specific, so they can be accessed through all browsers on your computer. 
The reason that you may never have heard of supercookies, and the reason they are so hard to find and get rid of, is that their deployment is deliberately sneaky and designed to evade detection and deletion. This means that most people who think they have cleared their computers of tracking objects have likely not. The European Union has recently taken action to make illegal the emplacement of "non-essential" cookies  on your computer, but the United States, being less concerned about your personal privacy, and more concerned about  making it easy for companies (and the government) to eavesdrop, has not.
The following is a list ( probably incomplete) where zombie cookies may be hiding on your computer:
Standard HTTP cookies
Storing cookies in and reading out web history
Storing cookies in HTTP ETags
Internet Explorer userData storage (starting IE9, userData is no longer supported)
HTML5 Session Storage
HTML5 Local Storage
HTML5 Global Storage
HTML5 Database Storage via SQLite
Storing cookies in RGB values of auto-generated, force-cached PNGs using HTML5 Canvas tag to read pixels (cookies) back out
Local Shared Objects
Silverlight Isolated Storage
Cookie syncing scripts that function as a cache cookie and respawn the MUID cookie[4]
If a user is not able to remove the cookie from every one of these data stores then the cookie will be recreated to all of these stores on the next visit to the site that uses that particular cookie, or in some cases, just the next visit to the internet, even though you may have barred 3rd party cookies from being emplaced in your browser. Every company has their own implementation of zombie cookies and most are kept proprietary, although an open-source implementation of zombie cookies, called Evercookie,[5] is available and commonly used.
One  such common type of supercookie is called Local shared objects (LSOs), or more commonly Flash cookies (due to their similarities with HTTP cookies), are pieces of data that websites which use Adobe Flash may store on a user's computer. Local shared objects are used by all versions of Adobe Flash Player and version 6 and above of Macromedia's now-obsolete Flash Player.[1]
It is possible to see who is using Flash cookies on your computer, (and remove them) by going to the adobe website storage settings panel : (http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_man ager07.html).  This takes you to a settings manager  figure. This  Settings Manager figure that you see on this page is not an image; it is the actual Settings Manager for your computer. Click the tabs to see different panels, and click the options in the panels to change your Adobe Flash Player settings.
So far, I have not been able to find a method of removing or inhibiting zombie cookies that use HTML5 local or global storage locations. Some browsers may provide such power, but Apple Safari apparently does not.
For more information on supercookies see:
https://www.bestvpn.com/blog/8177/super-cookies-flash-cookies/
There are some ways to reduce your load of unwanted cookies and local storage  type cookies using  extensions such as AdBlock or Disconnect,  But I've tried some of these and it doesn't seem to  stop very many of them, even though the Disconnect extension is said to block over 2000 of these types of  cookies.
For those who are trying to ride under the radar by using some of these extensions or software blockers, be aware that use of these may actually make you more visible because of browser fingerprinting.  Whenever you visit a website your browser sends data to the server hosting that site. This data includes basic information, including the browser name, operating system, and exact version number of the browser. This information is known as passive browser fingerprint because it happens automatically. However websites when blocked, can also easily install other types of scripts that ask for additional information, such as a list of all installed fonts and plugins, supported data types (so-called MIME types), screen resolution, system colors and much more. Because this information has to be solicited from your browser, it is known as active fingerprinting. Taken altogether, the various fingerprint attributes can be almost instantly (it takes just a few milliseconds to run algorithms that compare millions of fingerprints) combined to create a unique fingerprint that can be used to very accurately identify an individual user, no matter if cookies have been deleted or IP address changed between website visits.
For an article on browser fingerprinting, See : https://www.bestvpn.com/blog/8159/browsers-fingerprint-reduce/
The bottom line is that if you use the internet, your browser history is being tracked by a myriad of companies and government agents, and it is likely not possible to stop this.  For those who work in science, industry or government and are working on sensitive topics or novel product development  that  another company or government may find interesting, there appears to be many ways to recreate  what you are working on by studying your browser history, or installing worms to view exactly what you are writing or reading.  It came as somewhat of a shock to me to see just how pervasive internet spying has become, and it's not just malicious or destrustive agents who are doing so. Google didn't become a $350 billion company by simply bringing nice toys to us to play with. The real value of the internet comes from the trade and sale of secretly obtained personal information from you and I and everyone else, and its sale to all who will pay for it.