Can someone tell me where my computer is storing personal information. I am using Firefox and regularly purge the cookies/temp files/etc.....
I have an Email account through one of the free services that does advertising in the header, and accidently clicked on one for a dating site. (I think it was match.com or something). Anyway it comes up and says something like "meet your perfect match in Everett, WA today". I was surprised so I went and cleared everything and went back to the site and it still had my correct location. How does it know where I am? Where is that being stored on my computer and how do I get rid of it?

Also, don't bother giving me crap about dating services, I've made it way too easy for the cheap jokes.

 

Try this: www.ccleaner.com. Should get rid of most of your info.

 

I see that too.
Sometimes a site will say "Meet foxy women from Auburn" my town.
I think the sites are scanning your IP addy, and seeing what server you are hubbed to.

 

Moving from San Diego to Orange County - my computer still has ads that refer to San Diego while others have started to run Orange County locations (after 3 months of internet service).

 

Could it be your IP address? That they don't know your computer/name specifically but they do know where the connection is being made. Just a guess.
Doh, I just realized Corey already said that. Ahhh, redundancy.

 

corey got it, they scan your ip and see you provider location.... I think you can get a program that constantly changes you ip, but not sure.

 

http://www.dnsstuff.com/info/geolocation.htm

Read it, know it, live it.

It can be done with some success by anyone, but websites that subscribe to a geolocation database service, can narrow it down to the point of what neighborhood you are in.

Personalized websites are the wave of the future. You can scrub your computer spotless, but those blood stains are not coming off Lady Macbeth... "Out! Out damned spot!"