Internet Privacy Cookies Identitiy Theft

INTERNET PRIVACY ~ You are never alone when surfing the web

Maintaining your privacy online can be a daunting task these days, with companies tracking your every move with cookies and or spyware embedded into programs that are supposed to make surfing the web easier. Even the browser you use can be used against you to gain information about you, your financial information and your web habits. And with the growing instances of identity theft, it really makes a difference as to how you view your online privacy. Programs like Gator, Bonzi Buddy, Weather Bug and Comet cursor are just a few of ever faster growing list of bad guys. Read the full story on a case of identity theft and what to do when you have lost or had stolen your wallet, purse or identity thru the internet.

Cookies, In and of themselves are not a bad thing. They are useful for recognizing you as a return visitor to a site, that you may have previously bought something from or were in the middle of buying something online but got knocked off. They are also used to track where you came from and where you are going. Example: Site A places a cookie on your hard drive then you click to Site B. Site A's cookie now knows where you went (Site B) and Site B knows where you came from (Site A). And this will be true for all the cookies in your temporary internet files cache. Any Site you go to will read those cookies and know EXACTLY where you have been... In Internet Explorer 4+ You can do several things. 1) Disable Your Cookies 2) Prompt you for a cookie or 3) just delete cookies on a regular basis (Like after you are done surfing the net). This not only makes it harder for sites to track your surfing habits, but it clears up space on your hard drive.

What TO Do: Cookies

To delete your cookies in Internet Explorer, Open the Browser and Click TOOLS then INTERNET OPTIONS. On the GENERAL TAB, You Will see a "Settings" Button. Click SETTINGS Then Click "View Files". You are now in your Internet Temp Folder. ANY AND ALL FILES IN HERE MAY BE DELETED! Just Click EDIT, SELECT ALL, then Hit The Delete Key and Answer YES or OK to the alerts. TO DISABLE Cookies or Prompt For Cookies, Click ON the ADVANCED Tab In Internet Options Scroll thru the list and check or uncheck the many options there. In Internet Explorer 6, cookie or file deletion is even simpler, as there is a Delete Cookies and Delete Files Button right on the General Tab.

Spyware are small programs, codes or registry keys hidden in a program's insallation. Several companyies use spyware to track your every move on the net and off. These programs report back to their owners all sorts of information on you, your buying habits and your computer. Luckily there are several good FREE programs that get rid of spyware easiliy and painlessly Even some of the nicest programs like the "Reader Rabbit" series of software has spyware!

What TO Do: Spyware

Download a good spyware killer Geek On Wheels recommends Spybot Search & Destroy it will not only scan your computer for spyware and remove them but will also immunize you against known spyware programs and sites as well as install "Tea Timer" a small app that watch dogs your system settings and alerts you when a program or application wants to change settings or take over  your start page. Microsoft also has a excellent application called Microsoft AntiSpyware (Beta) that will also kill spyware and protect your system from re-infestation. Having both Spybot Search & Destroy and Microsoft AntiSpyware (Beta) are a great way to keep your computer clean from these nasty programs.

Internet Explorer has a few features that is supposed to make surfing the web easier. (i.e. Filling in forms for you, remembering passwords etc.) but if your encryption strength isn't 128bit, this information you filled out on someone's site form can be grabbed by another site or malicious hackers can steal it right out from under your nose!

What TO Do: Internet Explorer Settings

Click TOOLS, INTERNET OPTIONS Then CONTENT TAB. Near the bottom is AUTO COMPLETE, Click it...You will see several check boxes "Use Auto Complete For". Uncheck all these boxes and then click the CLEAR PASSWORDS and CLEAR FORMS buttons. Click Apply and then OK. If you have setup Profile Information, this is where any site can get personal data like your home number, address and other information.

Don't use Profile Programs Like Gator and others promise to keep your passwords secret and your credit card info secret. But there are numerous "hacks" for Gator which make Gator vulnerable to attack and the theft of your information easy.

Its not easy to keep your private information private, but by using these tips, you are safer than 90% of the web population out there. There is no way to completely gain control or to keep ALL your information private, but you CAN choose Who has the right to your information. People say there is no such thing as true online privacy, I say Lets make it harder for people to steal our identities or our credit card numbers. I say No one has the right to know who I am with out my express written authorization.

Email & Shopping Online:

When you shop online, you are invariably asked for an email address, so you give them your home address (ISP, Pop Mail) and the next thing you know, you have tons of unsolicited, unwanted JUNK spam flooding your inbox. One tip I use is I create a Hotmail or Yahoo mail Gmail email account. Just for situations like this. So when I buy something online or have to give my email address to a site to subscribe to something, I give them my hotmail address which is just for that purpose. My Outlook Express Inbox has never ever had spam or junk mail sent to it... I check my hotmail shopping address every so often and look through all the junk and unsubscribe or just delete the Junk and save the order confirmation emails sent to me by the sites I actually bought from.