Definition of words and terms

Web Beacons :

Often referred to as "clear GIFs", "clear Pixels", "1-by-1 GIFs", "clear Pixels", or "web bugs". Tiny graphic image files, imbedded in a web page in GIF, jpeg, or HTML format that provide a presence on the web page and send back information from the user's browser (such as IP address, the URL of the page on which the beacon is located, the type browser accessing the site, and the ID number of any Cookies on the user's computer) to its home server (which may belong to the host site, a network, or some other third party) previously placed by that server. Web beacons can also be used to place Cookies on the user's browser.

Cookie:

A small data file that is stored on the hard drive of the computer you use to view a website. Cookies are placed by that site or by a third party with a presence on the site, such as an advertiser using a web beacon (see above) and are accessible only by the party or site that placed the cookie (i.e., a cookie placed on your computer by an advertiser may be accessed by any site on which that same advertiser has a presence). Cookies can contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII).