Online Privacy

If you don't want your web surfing behavior to be tracked without your consent, configure your web browser to reject cookies. A cookie is a small file created and installed on your computer's hard drive by a website that wants to collect information about your interaction with the site. As you browse through the content, information is stored in the cookie. The next time you return to the site, that data is transmitted to the site.

Only the site that created the cookie can read it, and it can't access other files on your computer. Cookies can be useful for things like storing a password so you don't have to enter it each time you access the site. But cookies are invasive because they are normally set without your consent.

To control cookies when using Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or a higher version under the Tools menu, select Internet Options. Now click the Privacy tab and then select the Medium setting to block third party cookies that transmit personally identifiable information without your consent.

With Mozilla Firefox, under the Tools menu, select Options. Now click the Privacy tab and then uncheck "Accept cookies from site".

Protect the privacy of your electronic communications by using encryption, a form of cryptography. Encryption requires special software to encode your e-mail or any other files you want to send securely over the Internet. The person receiving these files must use the same software to decode them.

For more on encryption, read our article on secure transactions.

If you are interested in efforts to defend civil liberties on the Internet, visit the Electronic Frontier Foundation website.

Last update: Jan 6, 2010