Internet Privacy - Protect Yourself

Every day your computer is used to check and track things that are very important in your life. Things like your bank balance, credit card statements and maybe even some trades on the stock market. Did you know that every single thing you do on your computer is logged somewhere on your hard drive? Every web page, password, document and place you visit is recorded and stored. There are a few simple things you can do at home, with what you already have to help protect your Internet privacy and each one only takes a minute or two. Lets go through a couple of them.

First off, when you go to web pages, something called a cookie is placed in a folder in your computer that records information about you. Most of these are completely harmless and beneficial to you the next time you go to the website. However, some can cause problems and should be removed. If you are using Internet Explorer, all you have to do is click on tools and then click on Internet options and where it says browsing history, click delete all. This will clear out all the cookies and web pages you have visited. You can also set up IE to do this automatically. If you are using Firefox, all you have to do is click on tools and then clear private data; you can choose what you want to remove.

Another quick trick is to check your security and privacy settings for your browser of choice. These privacy settings are there to protect you when you visit a website that may try to automatically download something to your computer without your permission. In IE simply go back to tools and then click on the security tab and click the default level if it is available. If it is not available, you are already good to go. Now, click on the privacy tab and do the same thing. If you can’t click on default, you are already set up. Firefox users can click on tools and then options and click on the privacy and security tabs. Once there, check the items you want Firefox to handle for you. Internet privacy is all about limiting the amount of information you want out there and generally, the less there is, the better.

Lastly, another feature of Windows is a built in firewall. A firewall is a layer of protection between your PC and the rest of the Internet. Simply put, it blocks unwanted access to your computer and logs any attempts from any outside PC that tries to access your system. To check your firewall status, go to the control panel and then to the security center. There you will see if you have one active and if not, it can direct you to a firewall you can use.

Remember, your Internet privacy is your responsibility. Taking simple and easily available steps can keep you and your information safe and where it belongs, with you. There are much more effective ways to protect your privacy, such as purchasing anonymous proxy software, but this is a great place to start and will help you to take small steps toward securing your Internet privacy.