The Complete Guide to Internet Privacy

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If you feel the need to hide your tracks after surfing the Web, you can manually delete temporary files and your browsing history in IE or Netscape with a just few keystrokes. To make cleaning up after yourself simple and fast, you may want to try a product like Window Washer or Cache and Cookie Washer from www.webroot.com , Cookie Eater from www.dittotech.com , Cookie Crusher or Cyber Clean from www.thelimitsoft.com or WebWasher from www.webwasher.com . These programs let you remove left-behind cookies from your Web-browsing activity. Some can also clean up your browser cache files, which are the graphics, HTML and other temporary debris from sites you have visited. WebWasher also provides some filtering of cookies and JavaScripts as they come from Web sites, and can limit in-page and pop-up ads, which greatly reduces browsing annoyances. If hiding your tracks isn't enough, you can also secure the Web site bookmarks you save with a tool like WebRoot's Private Bookmarks program.

6. SURF ANONYMOUSLY

Perhaps we are a bit fickle about our surfing - sometimes we want to enjoy a customized or personalized Web site that suits our interests, and sometimes we want to sneak a peek at a site without leaving a trace. There are two sites, www.anonymizer.com and www.idzap.com, that offer free and subscription-based anonymous Web surfing. Simply point your browser at their site and tell it which other site you want to visit anonymously. The browser will present the page you requested while leaving the target site with trace of your identity. Visitors to www.ultimateanonymity.com are offered anonymous e-mail, newsgroup posting and Web surfing for a one-time fee of $14. Anonymizer is a bit easier to use since, unlike IDZap, it does not require registration.

If you want to see what information Web sites can have about you, check out the Analyze Your Connection link at www.privacy.net . The demonstration available on this site will reveal your current IP address, whether your browser currently supports JavaScript, Java or ActiveX, and if your e-mail address is available for FTP login use and thus exposed to sites you visit. This, in addition to Steve Gibson's site, is a real eye-opener about Web browsing.

7. SHOP SMART

There are two big online shopping risks: The first is that the merchant can violate your privacy by reusing or selling the personal information you provided in order to check out after shopping; the second is that credit card or other infor mation you've disclosed could be stolen from the site's servers.

Never buy anything from a site that doesn't use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) authentication and encryption between your browser and their Web site when you share information with them. You can tell if SSL is active by the little closed padlock in your browser's window. No lock, no bucks! Just remember that an SSL connection only ensures your data is safe en route to a known sever. As data is stored and passed around the retailer's other servers and networks, it may be vulnerable to prying eyes. Your information can be stolen by insiders working for themselves, by someone who copies data files or printout reports and takes them home, or by criminals who break into the retailer's networks from outside. Many e-commerce sites are as or more vulnerable to human sabotage than high-tech sites.

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