Top Ten Privacy Tips

A cookie is a small file sent by a web server to your web browser to record your activities on a particular website. Cookies can be a useful way to store information, such as the login for a website you visit often. But if you want, you can remove them. Here's how:

• If you use Internet Explorer 7.0 or 8.0, go to the Tools menu, then select Internet Options. Next, click on the General tab, then under Browsing history, click Delete, then click Delete cookies. When prompted, click Yes to delete the cookies.
• With Firefox 2.0 or 3.0, under the Tools menu, select Options. Now click Privacy, then Show Cookies. When the new window opens, click Remove All Cookies.

To prevent your activities from being tracked as you browse websites, use online tools that disguise who you are and where you come from. One reliable service we recommend is the Cloak.

Before you provide any information to a site, read its privacy policy. Every reputable site should post one. Look for a link on the home page. The policy should state what information is collected, how it's used, how it's protected, who has access to it, and if it's sold or shared with third parties. If no policy is available, think twice about providing personal information.

Websites that collect personal data may allow you to decide whether the data can be shared with third parties, such as marketing companies, and whether you want to receive e-mail offers from them. Typically you check a box, either agreeing to this or refusing. You have no obligation to share your personal information with anyone, so opt-out if the offer holds no interest.

For more on opting-out, and an easy way to notify sites that you want to opt-out, visit the Center for Democracy and Technology.

If you access the Internet with a dial-up account, the chances of data theft are minimal. But if you have a broadband connection, such as DSL or a cable modem, watch out. With these "always on" connections, you become a more likely target for hackers. Be sure your computer has a firewall. Microsoft's XP, Vista and Windows 7 operating systems have them built-in, as does the Mac OS. But should you need to install a firewall, we recommend ZoneAlarm. You can download it for free from ZoneLabs.

As you surf the Web, your browser both records the addresses of where you've been and stores downloaded files in a cache. If you want to keep this information from prying eyes, periodically clear the temporary Internet files, delete the history files and the drop-down list under the address or location bar. While this may seem an extreme step, if you share a computer, or use a public computer, consider doing this. Here's how:

• With Internet Explorer 7.0 or 8.0 under the Tools menu, select Internet Options. Now click on the General tab. Next, under Browsing history, click on Delete.
• With Firefox 2.0 or 3.0, under the Tools menu, select Options. Now click on Advanced, then theNetwork tab. Next, under Cache, click Clear Now. Next, click on the Privacy tab. You have the option of choosing whether Firefox stores the sites you visit and for how long. You can also choose to have Firefox clear private data when you close the browser.

Last update: Jan 15, 2010