Protect Your Privacy by Erasing Tracks Left on Your Computer

By: Richard Rogers

When you browse the web information is continuously collected by
the websites you visit and by your own computer. For example,
websites at a minimum collect information about the web browser
you use the operating system of your computer and the geography
you reside from. However, what surprises most users is the
amount of information that is collected on your computer from
your surfing habits and daily use.

Your web browser stores a lot of different types of information
which is designed to improve your internet surfing experience
but nevertheless poses a privacy risk. The sites or URLs which
you visit are stored in the browser's "history." Search results
are saved when you enter a search term into a search engine like
Google. Web content and images are stored in the "temp" folder.
Files that you download are stored in the download manager.

Websites also place "Cookies" onto your hard drive. A cookie is
a small text file and is used by websites to offer advanced
features. Some of the information that cookies store include
shopping basket items or log-in information for a membership
site. Cookies can also store information about when you visited
the site including date and time.

Given all this information being collected above you can easily
see why this could become a privacy risk. It would not take
someone who knew what they were doing too long to figure out
what websites you visit, what you have bought online and what
search terms you are looking for. This is unfortunately not the
end of it.

If you are a user of instant messenger or chat programs like
AIM, MSN Instant Messenger or even Skype then it is important to
be aware that the programs saves your chat history. Most
programs allow you turn this feature off.

There are number of other places besides your web browser where
information is stored on your computer. This data can allow
people to figure out what you have been doing on your computer.
Media players like RealPlayer and Microsoft Media Play store
audio and video playing history. Microsoft Office like Excel and
PowerPoint applications store information about the most
recently accessed files.

Another important thing to remember is that when you delete a
file it is not necessarily permanently erased and can be
recovered with the right software. When you first hit delete the
file is moved to the Recycle Bin. Even when you empty the
Recycle Bin the file still exists on your hard drive until
Windows overwrites it.

Here are two things you can do to help reduce the privacy risks
from your computer.

- Use a free software tool called "CCleaner"
(http://www.ccleaner.com) to clear information collected by your
web browser and Windows's Temp Folder. This software automates
the manual process of using your browser options menu to clean
out cookies, URL history etc. Try to run this tool once a week
or more frequently if you are a heavy internet user. - If you
work with sensitive data files on your computer then you may
want to consider investing in secure file "shredder" software.
This type of software actually overwrites or "bleaches" the file
you want to delete which means that it cannot be restored.

About the author:
Richard Rogers runs a number of computer-related sites offering
Spyware Remover and Anti Virus Software help.