<s>
A	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
object	I-Operating_System
(	O
LSO	O
)	O
,	O
commonly	O
called	O
a	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
cookie	I-Operating_System
(	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
similarity	O
with	O
an	O
HTTP	B-Application
cookie	I-Application
)	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
piece	O
of	O
data	O
that	O
websites	O
that	O
use	O
Adobe	B-Operating_System
Flash	I-Operating_System
may	O
store	O
on	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
have	O
been	O
used	O
by	O
all	O
versions	O
of	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
Player	I-Operating_System
(	O
developed	O
by	O
Macromedia	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
later	O
acquired	O
by	O
Adobe	O
Systems	O
)	O
since	O
version	O
6	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flash	B-Operating_System
cookies	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
stored	O
or	O
retrieved	O
whenever	O
a	O
user	O
accesses	O
a	O
page	O
containing	O
a	O
Flash	O
application	O
,	O
are	O
a	O
form	O
of	O
local	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
to	O
cookies	B-Application
,	O
they	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
store	O
user	O
preferences	O
,	O
save	O
data	O
from	O
Flash	B-Protocol
games	I-Protocol
,	O
or	O
track	O
users	O
 '	O
Internet	O
activity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
LSOs	O
have	O
been	O
criticised	O
as	O
a	O
breach	O
of	O
browser	B-Protocol
security	I-Protocol
,	O
but	O
there	O
are	O
now	O
browser	O
settings	O
and	O
addons	B-Operating_System
to	O
limit	O
the	O
duration	O
of	O
their	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
contain	O
data	O
stored	O
by	O
individual	O
websites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Data	O
is	O
stored	O
in	O
the	O
Action	B-Protocol
Message	I-Protocol
Format	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
default	O
settings	O
,	O
the	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
Player	I-Operating_System
does	O
not	O
seek	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
permission	O
to	O
store	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
on	O
the	O
hard	O
disk	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
default	O
,	O
an	O
SWF	O
application	O
running	O
in	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
Player	I-Operating_System
from	O
version	O
9	O
to	O
11	O
(	O
as	O
of	O
Sept	O
1	O
,	O
2011	O
)	O
may	O
store	O
up	O
to	O
of	O
data	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
hard	O
drive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Adobe	B-Operating_System
Flash	I-Operating_System
Player	I-Operating_System
does	O
not	O
allow	O
third-party	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
to	O
be	O
shared	O
across	O
domains	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
a	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
object	I-Operating_System
from	O
"	O
www.example.com	O
"	O
cannot	O
be	O
read	O
by	O
the	O
domain	O
"	O
www.example.net	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
first-party	O
website	O
can	O
always	O
pass	O
data	O
to	O
a	O
third-party	O
via	O
some	O
settings	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
dedicated	O
XML	B-Protocol
file	O
and	O
passing	O
the	O
data	O
in	O
the	O
request	O
to	O
the	O
third	O
party	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
visitor	O
accesses	O
a	O
site	O
using	O
their	O
Firefox	B-Application
browser	I-Application
,	O
then	O
views	O
a	O
page	O
displaying	O
a	O
specific	O
product	O
,	O
then	O
closes	O
the	O
Firefox	B-Application
browser	I-Application
,	O
the	O
information	O
about	O
that	O
product	O
can	O
be	O
stored	O
in	O
the	O
LSO	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
that	O
same	O
visitor	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
same	O
machine	O
now	O
opens	O
an	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
browser	O
and	O
visits	O
any	O
page	O
from	O
the	O
site	O
viewed	O
in	O
Firefox	B-Application
,	O
the	O
site	O
can	O
read	O
the	O
LSO	O
value(s )	O
in	O
the	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
browser	O
,	O
and	O
display	O
dynamic	O
content	O
or	O
otherwise	O
target	O
the	O
visitor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
distinct	O
from	O
cookies	B-Application
which	O
have	O
directory	O
isolated	O
storage	O
paths	O
for	O
saved	O
cookies	B-Application
while	O
LSOs	O
use	O
a	O
common	O
directory	O
path	O
for	O
all	O
browsers	O
on	O
a	O
single	O
machine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flash	B-Protocol
games	I-Protocol
may	O
use	O
LSO	O
files	O
to	O
store	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
personal	O
game	O
data	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
user	O
preferences	O
and	O
actual	O
game	O
progress	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
HTTP	B-Application
cookies	I-Application
,	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
can	O
be	O
used	O
by	O
websites	O
to	O
collect	O
information	O
on	O
how	O
people	O
navigate	O
them	O
,	O
although	O
users	O
have	O
taken	O
steps	O
to	O
restrict	O
data	O
collection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	O
banks	O
,	O
merchants	O
,	O
or	O
advertisers	O
may	O
use	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
for	O
tracking	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
10	O
August	O
2009	O
,	O
Wired	O
magazine	O
reported	O
that	O
more	O
than	O
half	O
of	O
the	O
top	O
websites	O
used	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
to	O
track	O
users	O
and	O
store	O
information	O
about	O
them	O
,	O
but	O
only	O
four	O
of	O
them	O
mentioned	O
it	O
in	O
their	O
privacy	O
policy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
cookies	I-Operating_System
are	O
relatively	O
unknown	O
to	O
web	O
users	O
,	O
"	O
the	O
article	O
said	O
,	O
"	O
even	O
if	O
a	O
user	O
thinks	O
they	O
have	O
cleared	O
their	O
computer	O
of	O
tracking	O
objects	O
,	O
they	O
most	O
likely	O
have	O
not.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
article	O
further	O
says	O
that	O
some	O
websites	O
use	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
cookies	I-Operating_System
as	O
hidden	O
backups	O
so	O
that	O
they	O
can	O
restore	O
HTTP	B-Application
cookies	I-Application
deleted	O
by	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
,	O
by	O
July	O
2010	O
there	O
had	O
been	O
at	O
least	O
five	O
class-action	O
lawsuits	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
against	O
media	O
companies	O
for	O
using	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
customers	O
must	O
consent	O
to	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
cookies/local	O
shared	O
objects	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
were	O
the	O
first	O
subject	O
to	O
be	O
discussed	O
in	O
the	O
Federal	O
Trade	O
Commission	O
(	O
FTC	O
)	O
roundtable	O
in	O
January	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
disable	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
using	O
the	O
Global	O
Storage	O
Settings	O
panel	O
of	O
the	O
online	O
Settings	O
Manager	O
at	O
Adobe	O
's	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
this	O
places	O
a	O
permanent	O
flash	B-Operating_System
cookie	I-Operating_System
on	O
the	O
computer	O
,	O
informing	O
all	O
other	O
websites	O
that	O
the	O
user	O
does	O
not	O
want	O
flash	B-Operating_System
cookies	I-Operating_System
stored	O
on	O
their	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
opt	O
out	O
of	O
LSOs	O
from	O
specified	O
sites	O
from	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
Player	I-Operating_System
's	O
"	O
Settings	O
"	O
,	O
accessed	O
by	O
right-clicking	O
the	O
Player	O
,	O
or	O
using	O
the	O
Website	O
Storage	O
Settings	O
panel	O
;	O
the	O
latter	O
also	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
delete	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
may	O
also	O
delete	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
either	O
manually	O
or	O
using	O
third-party	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
instance	O
,	O
CCleaner	B-Application
,	O
a	O
standalone	O
computer	O
program	O
for	O
Microsoft	O
Windows	O
and	O
Mac	B-Device
OS	I-Device
X	I-Device
,	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
delete	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
on	O
demand	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
also	O
a	O
Firefox	B-Operating_System
add-on	I-Operating_System
,	O
Clear	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
Cookies	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
will	O
automatically	O
clear	O
out	O
all	O
LSOs	O
each	O
time	O
the	O
browser	O
is	O
restarted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
version	O
10.3	O
of	O
Flash	O
,	O
the	O
Online	O
Settings	O
Manager	O
(	O
letting	O
users	O
configure	O
privacy	O
and	O
security	O
permissions	O
via	O
Adobe	O
's	O
website	O
)	O
is	O
superseded	O
by	O
the	O
Local	O
Settings	O
Manager	O
on	O
Windows	O
,	O
Mac	O
,	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
be	O
accessed	O
via	O
the	O
Windows	O
Control	B-Operating_System
Panel	I-Operating_System
or	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
System	I-Operating_System
Preferences	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Browser	O
control	O
refers	O
to	O
the	O
web	O
browser	O
's	O
ability	O
to	O
delete	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
and	O
to	O
prevent	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
persistent	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
when	O
privacy	B-Protocol
mode	I-Protocol
is	O
enabled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
for	O
the	O
former	O
,	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
released	O
on	O
March	O
19	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
implements	O
an	O
API	B-General_Concept
that	O
allows	O
browser	B-Protocol
extensions	I-Protocol
to	O
co-operate	O
with	O
the	O
browser	O
and	O
delete	O
their	O
persistent	O
data	O
stored	O
when	O
user	O
issues	O
a	O
Delete	O
Browsing	O
History	O
command	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
two	O
years	O
passed	O
since	O
its	O
introduction	O
until	O
Adobe	O
,	O
on	O
March	O
7	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
announced	O
that	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
Player	I-Operating_System
v10.3	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
still	O
in	O
development	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
supports	O
co-operating	O
with	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
8	I-Application
or	O
later	O
to	O
delete	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
on	O
January	O
5	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
Adobe	O
Systems	O
,	O
Google	O
Inc.	O
,	O
and	O
Mozilla	B-Operating_System
Foundation	I-Operating_System
finalized	O
a	O
new	O
browser	O
API	B-General_Concept
(	O
dubbed	O
NPAPI	O
ClearSiteData	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
will	O
allow	O
browsers	O
implementing	O
the	O
API	B-General_Concept
to	O
clear	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Four	O
months	O
later	O
,	O
Adobe	O
announced	O
that	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
Player	I-Operating_System
10.3	O
enables	O
Mozilla	B-Application
Firefox	I-Application
4	I-Application
and	O
"	O
future	O
releases	O
of	O
Apple	B-Application
Safari	I-Application
and	O
Google	B-Application
Chrome	I-Application
"	O
to	O
delete	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
,	O
so	O
since	O
version	O
4	O
,	O
Firefox	B-Application
treats	O
LSOs	O
the	O
same	O
way	O
as	O
HTTP	B-Application
cookies	I-Application
-	O
deletion	O
rules	O
that	O
previously	O
applied	O
only	O
to	O
HTTP	B-Application
cookies	I-Application
now	O
also	O
apply	O
to	O
LSOs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
caused	O
loss	O
of	O
data	O
and	O
backward-incompatible	O
flash	O
application	O
behavior	O
for	O
those	O
Firefox	B-Application
and	O
Flash	O
users	O
who	O
used	O
HTTP	B-Application
cookies	I-Application
and	O
Flash	O
local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
for	O
different	O
goals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
resulting	O
support	O
requests	O
cannot	O
be	O
solved	O
favorably	O
for	O
Mozilla	B-Application
Firefox	I-Application
users	O
without	O
changes	O
to	O
the	O
browser	O
,	O
because	O
of	O
the	O
introduced	O
equivalence	O
between	O
HTTP	O
and	O
flash	B-Operating_System
cookies	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Currently	O
,	O
the	O
workaround	O
in	O
use	O
is	O
to	O
either	O
configure	O
the	O
browser	O
to	O
never	O
clear	O
history	O
data	O
and	O
cookies	B-Application
or	O
to	O
revert	B-General_Concept
the	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
changes	O
affecting	O
this	O
use	O
case	O
,	O
using	O
third-party	O
patches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
for	O
the	O
behavior	O
in	O
browser	O
's	O
privacy	B-Protocol
mode	I-Protocol
,	O
Adobe	B-Operating_System
Flash	I-Operating_System
Player	I-Operating_System
10.1	O
,	O
released	O
on	O
June	O
10	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
supports	O
the	O
privacy	B-Protocol
modes	I-Protocol
of	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
,	O
Mozilla	B-Application
Firefox	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
Chrome	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Safari	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Local	B-Operating_System
shared	I-Operating_System
objects	I-Operating_System
created	O
in	O
privacy	O
are	O
discarded	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
session	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Those	O
created	O
in	O
a	O
regular	O
session	O
are	O
also	O
not	O
accessible	O
in	O
privacy	B-Protocol
mode	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Software	O
Developer	O
Platform	O
First	O
public	O
release	O
Latest	O
stable	O
version	O
LicensePrivacyScanSecureMac.com,	O
Inc.macOS	O
10.6	O
-	O
10.10	O
2012-01-30	O
1.5	O
Cookie	B-Application
StumblerWriteIt	O
!	O
</s>
