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Don't let cookies give away the store.
  technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

5 tips for Internet safety and security


July 17, 2002


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2002, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2002, The Post-Standard

   Would you leave your car doors unlocked when you park on an unfamiliar street? I doubt it. Take the same attitude toward your privacy and security on the Internet. Here are five tips that can make your personal computer safer and keep your files out of the hands of people who have no business with them.
   1. Don't volunteer any personal information unless you absolutely have to. And don't allow Web sites to get away with sharing your private info with anyone else.
   This is extremely important. An example of how brazen some companies can be came into my mailbox a few days ago. NetMechanic, a company that checks Web sites for bad links and other problems, sent a letter that said it had been bought by Keynote, another company. The letter contained this amazing twisty of logic:
   "We respect your privacy and promised you that we would not release your data without your consent. If you do not want NetMechanic to share your information with Keynote please visit the page below and enter your account name and email address: www.netmechanic.com/comp/share_optout.htm."
   In other words, if you do nothing -- if you don't know that NetMechanic plans to share your private data -- you're a turkey, because NetMechanic will send your secret stuff off to Keynote unless you tell it not to. Take your business elsewhere when your personal stuff becomes a football.
   2. Don't let cookies give away the store. Cookies (short lists of data) can tell misbehaving Web sites more about you than you'd ever want them to know. Either turn off cookies entirely -- something you probably can't do if you shop online or check stocks online -- or use a good cookie manager. The best one for Windows is Cookie Pal (www.kburra.com). Search my site (twcny.rr.com/technofile) for "Cookie Pal" (without quotes) for help using it.
   3. Never ask if you need a firewall. Of course you do. Firewalls hide your computer from Internet break-in artists. Windows PCs are especially vulnerable. If you have a cable or DSL Internet connection, get a router (a hardware device) that has a firewall built in. (I like the Linksys models.) Otherwise, get a software firewall. Windows and Mac OS (as well as OS X) users have Norton's firewall (www.symantec.com); for a free Windows firewall, go to www.zonelabs.com and try ZoneAlarm.
   4. If you're using a Mac, you can go get a cup of coffee. Windows users have to stay and repeat after me: "I will run good antivirus software on my Windows PC." Viruses and worms can plant tiny "servers" on your Windows PC that spy on your activities. When that happens, kiss privacy goodbye. (If you don't have good antivirus software, get AVG from www.grisoft.com. It's free.)
   5. Never assume that your Windows PC is safe. Microsoft, the company that made Windows, says it is trying to create "trusted" software. I wish Microsoft well, but you need to know that this is the same Microsoft that created a new version of Media Player that allows viruses to get into Windows.
   Viruses from a media-playing program? I'm not kidding. Always be careful. If something doesn't seem right, shut down your Windows PC from the Start Menu and made sure it shuts off. A PC that is not turned on is one that hackers can't break into.