Online Privacy

Enhancing Your Computer Security and Online Privacy

The many products mentioned in this section are good examples of those that are available in the various categories. You should research these and other products and decide which products fit your needs.

An important way to help enhance your computer privacy is to install and keep up to date these types of programs:

• AntiVirus program such as PC-cillin, Norton AntiVirus, McAfee VirusScan to name just a few.
• Software firewall such as ZoneAlarm (available in free and paid versions), Norton Personal Firewall, and McAfee Personal Firewall Plus. If you run Windows XP and don't choose to use a third-party software firewall, make sure you turn on the Windows XP firewall.
• AntiSpyware program such as Spy Sweeper by Webroot and CounterSpy by Sunbelt Software.

There are many Internet Security suites available that bundle together antivirus, firewall, plus other features such as antispyware, privacy management, spam blocking, pop-up blocking, web content filtering, parental controls, and others. Popular suites include ZoneAlarm Security Suite, PC-cillin Internet Security, Norton Internet Security, and McAfee Internet Security Suite.

Many of us already have programs on our machines that can help with privacy intrusion such as spam and cookie management.

• Most email programs provide some message filtering capability - some harder to master than others.
• Many Internet security programs do many things including managing cookies. For example, Norton Internet Security has privacy controls including cookie management and spam filtering.
• Web browsers have privacy settings that you can control including to show cookies and allow you to choose which cookies to accept.
• Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may provide junk mail filtering.

Looking for "privacy controls," "spam," "email filtering," "email controls," "cookies," under "HELP" on any of these programs should lead you to instructions on how to use these tools.

Spam Blockers

There are numerous products and services available — free and pay — that may help control the spam reaching your inbox. Many products reside on your computer and work with your email program. Others are services that don't require any software on your computer to work. Many work only with a specific email program or specific type of email. No product or service is perfect—incorrect tagging or trashing of email does occur. So look for a program that allows you control over the process or at least allows you to review the culled messages before they are deleted.

Before choosing a product or service determine what type of email you have. Various types include POP3, IMAP, web-based, AOL, MSN, Juno, Hotmail, Yahoo, and others. If you don't know what type you have, check with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) [check the customer service web page for starters].

Some programs filter, some just tag messages. Various methods used include black lists, white lists, bad word lists, and Bayesian filters. Make sure you choose a program that uses a combination of methods. If you receive email newsletters, you want to make sure to choose one that allows you to control the process. Many newsletters have had problems with spam blockers inappropriately blocking delivery.

The tips and help for regular users page at spam.abuse.net has a list of spam e-mail blocking and filtering products and services. Information provided for each item includes operating system, a short description, and whether it is a product or service. The list also includes tutorials for setting up filters in email programs such as Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, and procmail.

If you want to try an email program with good filtering capabilities, try PocoMail ($39.95), Mozilla Thunderbird (free), Pegasus Mail (free), or Eudora ($49.95).

Other Privacy Tools

The EPIC Online Guide to Practical Privacy Tools has short descriptions and links to all sorts of tools to help you preserve privacy. It's from the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

Improve Your Computer Security

Keeping your operating system and browser updated and patched is highly recommended. Automatic updates and/or automatic downloading of updates is available for most operating systems, browsers and security programs.

Many experts have recommended that Internet Explorer (IE) users use another browser such as Mozilla Firefox (free) and Opera (free). These other browsers have privacy features that aren't available in the current version of IE. Various toolbars and IE add-ins are available to help enhance your privacy.

Many homes now use wireless networks. Your financial, personal information and privacy can be at risk using your home wireless network unless you have secured it properly. Most networking components are not secure right out of the box but can be made secure (or more secure) by changing several of the settings. Experts recommend that you secure your home wireless networks by doing the following:

• Change the default passwords.
• Restrict access to the network to specific computers.
• Encrypt the data on the network
• Change the SSID
• Install a firewall
• Install and maintain anti-virus software

You can read more about these items in this article from the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT): Securing Wireless Networks.

To learn more about these cyber security topics and why it is important, read the Cyber Security Tips from US-CERT. Visit the site frequently as new tips are added often.

Another site to visit is OnGuard Online with tips on phishing, spyware, spam scams, ID Theft, online shopping, P2P file-sharing, and VoIP.