Top Ten Ways to Protect Privacy Online -Abdul M

Look for privacy policies on Web Sites  Web sites can collect a lot of information about your visit -- what computer you use, what type of hardware and software you have, what Web sites you have visited. Web sites that ask you to provide even a small amount of personal information can tie the data you provide to your browsing habits.

Get a separate account for your personal  Often, online users do not realize that sent from their work accounts is likely to be an open book to their employers. Even if you send an from your home, a copy is often stored on your employer's main computer server. Your boss has a legal right to read any and all correspondence in this account or on your work computer at any time.  Getting a separate account for home allows you to check your personal messages without using your workplace e- mail server. Some private accounts can be configured to enable you to check your personal mail from work without downloading it onto your company computer.

Teach your kids that giving out personal information online means giving it to strangers  Teach your children that they need your permission before they can give out their name, address or other information about themselves or the family.  Several years ago, a number of Web sites encouraged children to give information about themselves or their family; some enticed kids with games and free gifts. In 1998, a law was passed requiring companies to gain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13 years old. If you are concerned about a Web site collecting information from children without consent, you should communicate your concern to the Federal Trade Commission at

Clear your memory cache after browsing  After you browse the Web, copies of all accessed pages and images are saved on your computer's memory. While these copies make subsequent visits to the same sites faster, the browsing record has grave implications for personal privacy, particularly if you share a computer or browse at work. You can delete most of your online trail by simply going to the "Preferences" folder in your browser and clicking on the "Empty Cache" button. Sometimes this option is in the "Advanced" menu of the browser preferences. In Internet Explorer, go to "Internet Options" from the "Tools" menu and click on "Clear History".

Reject unnecessary cookies  Cookies enable Web sites to store information about your visit on your own hard drive. Cookies inform site operators if you have visited the site and, if you have obtained a username and password, cookies remember that information for you. Many of the "personalized" search engines use cookies to deliver news topics that users select; sites often use these same preferences to target advertisement. Cookies can be rejected by accessing the "Advanced" screen of the "Preferences" menu. In Internet Explorer, delete cookies by clicking on the "Delete Files" button in the "General" icon of "Tools"' "Internet Options" menu.

Use anonymous r ers  Anonymity is essential to protect free speech. It can be used to protect human rights workers reporting abuses, political dissidents commenting on government actions, writers publishing controversial literature and other important functions where revealing a person's identity would threaten a person's life or wellbeing. Anonymous publishing has been recognized in the United States as being protected by the First Amendment.  One very good r er was created as a joint project of the George Mason Society and the Global Internet Liberty Campaign and is available on the Web at

Keep your private, use encryption!  is not as secure a medium as many believe.  can be easily rerouted and read by unintended third parties; messages are often saved for indefinite periods of time. Presently, there exist technologies that allow you to encrypt your messages in order to protect their privacy. Some programs (i.e., Internet Explorer Outlook and Netscape Messenger) have encryption. Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), a popular encryption software, is free for non- commercial use

Use anonymizers while browsing  New Internet scams are born everyday so it's critical to protect your identity and personal information on the Web. Anonymizer solutions empower you to control the amount of personal information that you share when visiting Web sites, sending s, chatting, or posting to message boards.  Anonymizer Anonymous Surfing combines the protection of rotating anonymous IP addresses with the security of 128-bit SSL technology.

Opt-out of third party information sharing  Are you tired of getting all that junk mail? Telephone calls during dinner? Worried about who has your name on a list and what they're doing with it? If so, this site is for you.  You may not realize it, but a company you have done business with may have sold or shared your personal information to other companies. In some cases, you have the power to stop this practice.  Many online companies provide you with the option to get off (or "opt-out") the lists that share your information. Some companies enable users to easily opt out -- users are often able to do so online. A number of companies go a step further and ask your permission (opt-in) before sharing personal information that they have collected. Often, however, companies make opting out difficult or virtually impossible: addresses are buried, one cannot opt-out online, etc. CDT (Center for Democracy and Technology) has created Operation Opt-Out to help you control how your personal data is collected and distributed.Operation Opt-Out