It is your "subscription card" that you use to access Companion thru companion.ca.

Without a Companion cookie, you will end up at the "Welcome to Companion" page every time you try to visit.

When you subscribe, Companion saves your information in a database, and sends a cookie to your browser. This cookie is saved to a small text file when you exit your browser - if your machine crashes or shuts down before your browser closes, the cookie is not saved.

Your Companion cookie contains a unique number. Every time you click a link that contains companion.ca, your browser "sends" your Companion cookie to the web server, along with the address in the link you clicked. So, you have told Companion what you want and who you are each time you open a new page.

Don't be alarmed about cookies. Some people have heard bad things about cookies, such as them being able to track where you have been etc. This is not true - your browser cannot send Companion's cookie to any server except Companion's server, which in turn, will not recognize any cookies except it's own.

Cookies are not programs that come onto your computer and damage files. Companion utilises cookies that contain no information about you - the cookie file stored on your computer is a simple text file.

If you would like to see what a cookie looks like, do a file search on your computer for cookies.txt and double-click it. A word of Caution: do not attempt to edit or save this file - doing so can destroy all your cookies. Just close the file after you have looked at the cookie.

If you are still concerned about cookies and security, raise the issue with your fellow subscribers. Companion listens. For a detailed account of cookies, how they work, how to edit and control them, go to www.cookiecentral.com