It might surprise you to know how much information about you is going out even when you perform a simple task like using a search engine. In the previous post, there was a mention of cookies, and nobody loves cookies more than search engines. Cookies are how search engines can track your behavior on the internet and this info is mighty useful for marketing purposes. Now we cannot deny how useful search engines really are, but exactly how much privacy are we willing to lose over them?

The answer to these questions may very well be in the form of proxy servers which hide your IP address, thereby making it impossible for a server, any server, to figure out where exactly you are on the internet. Simplified: if the search engine can't locate your computer, it definitely cannot send you a cookie. For those who find using proxy servers a little too ‘techie' you can try many features available in some of the browsers and search engines. 

Ixquick, a popular Dutch meta-search engine offers you complete privacy over the internet by not storing your IP address on their servers, thereby not sending you cookies at all. Most search engines save cookies on your computer for at least 3 months, but Ixquick has always been deleting cookies within 48 hours. As of late, Ixquick no longer needs to store cookies at all on the browser. Thus, Ixquick is quite a safe choice when you're looking up sensitive information and quite important too when your kids are browsing. 

Ixquick is also the first search engine to offer such privacy to its users and won the EuroPrivacy Award in 2008. However, the privacy lasts only between the PC you're searching from and the Ixquick server. The moment you click on any of the search results, you are now connected to their server, and thus no longer private. Thus, if you're looking at really sophisticated protection, then thus far proxy servers seem to be the best bet. And for the technically-challenged they've become quite simple now. 

1. Giving out any more personal details than absolutely necessary is "madness". You might have to give out certain details while creating an account with an email client, but otherwise, keep personal details like Name, Address, etc with you. It is recommended to give out fake names and addresses on websites you will use only once. Similarly, it is wise to create a separate email account which acts like a pseudonym that you use when filling up forms.
2. Making online payment transactions is a big deal. Whether you like it or not, the website stores your credit card information, because it has to. Therefore only use very trusted websites while buying or selling.
3. Install good antivirus software and scan the computer everyday. Scanning is essential every singly day so that any spyware, adware or malware will be detected in time. Antivirus software allows you to schedule scans and updates. Ensure you do both regularly, ideally everyday.
4. If using MS Windows, go to Start > Control Panel > Firewall and ensure the firewall is turned on. Firewall screens all incoming internet connections (all those tiny updates and messages you keep getting). The firewall will also have an ‘Exceptions' tab. This tab allows you to make exceptions for all those internet connections you want to receive. For example, if you use iTunes and want to avail of updates whenever possible, you can make an exception for iTunes. Windows Vista has much more advanced security options.
5. A lot of the data you send and receive over the internet is stored on your hard drive in a folder called temporary files. Mostly these files are cookies, which are saved by the websites you visit on your computer. Although not dangerous they do imply a little security threat since they contain information about you and what you did on your visits on a particular website. Therefore, periodically, it is recommended to delete all items in this folder.
   

Most people think that online privacy can be achieved largely through antivirus, anti malware, anti spyware and a lot of other ‘anti' software. However, there is an aspect of internet privacy that's quite simple, and yet overlooked - and that's your browser. In fact this option is even more important while maintaining online privacy as you may be using a shared computer, workplace computer or even a computer in a public place such as an internet café, where you might not have any data to protect on your PC, but you will have to protect data that you send. At such times, you really don't have the privilege of installing anything, but a little check on the browser will go a long way.

So here are the things you need to look out for. Nearly all of the tinkering can be done via the ‘Options' tab under the ‘Tools' menu in most browsers like Mozilla Firefox, IE (Internet Explorer) and Safari. Google Chrome however, has only one ‘Settings' button (actually shaped like a spanner) and the ‘Options' below it. Click through to this tab and fiddle around with the following: 

1. Auto Complete options: Google chrome doesn't have this feature yet, but IE and Firefox do. Turn this option off. If left on, it will allow you to see everything that has have been typed in the browser previously and will give others after you the same benefit. Which means your email ID, and other fields like name and address, could become public property.
2. Remembering passwords: Turn this option off as well, for obvious reasons.
3. If sending sensitive emails from a shared or public computer, allow encryption of the emails. Look for this option in the privacy or security option.
4. On a PC, look for options that disallow third party cookies. This is easily found in Firefox. Go to Tools > Options > Security and disallow third party cookies. In Chrome go to ‘Settings' (Spanner shaped icon) > Options > under the hood. In IE go to Tools > Internet Options > Privacy. Restricting third party cookies is the most important aspect of maintaining online privacy.
5. At the same place, you will find a way to delete Temporary files - something you might want to do after you're done with your internet session on a shared or public computer and periodically on your PC.
6. MOST IMPORTANT: On a public or shared PC, once you're done with the browsing, ensure that you clear browsing data. This option will be available directly under the Tools menu in Firefox (Clear private data); under the spanner button in Chrome; and in the ‘Clear History' button found in Tools > Internet Options > General in IE.

Reading the statistics for identity theft over the past couple of years leaves you with the blueprint for what you must do to protect yourself in the upcoming year(s). The statistics that were released in 2008 should show you what is happening online and therefore the need for real precautions when it comes to our transactions on the internet. If you are doing business online, as many people are, or you use personal information in any sphere on the Internet, what can you do to protect yourself?

There was a twenty one percent increase in the number of consumer fraud and identity theft complaints between 2006 and 2007. This information was a part of the statistics that were released during the 2008 year by the Federal Trade Commission. There was also a loss of more than one billion dollars from these complaints during that same time frame. Even more devastating were the statistics that sixty five percent of victims did not file a police report. Of the remaining victims, twenty seven filed an accepted police report while eight percent tried to file a report that was not accepted by the police. 

One thing is very clear from these findings and that is that victims are not fighting back. The lack of real reporting on these crimes can only encourage the thieves to continue their practice of stealing your money. If you have been the victim of identity theft, it is imperative that you report the crime, not only to catch the criminals, but to serve as a warning to others who may fall victim to the very same crime. 

Pay attention to reports of identity theft and scams that are distributed online. The more aware we all are the more difficult it is for thieves to conduct their business. There are a number of businesses that will help you protect your identity and keep watch over your financial information. Make use of these services and watch your credit report and information very carefully. At the first sign that someone is using your name or financial information for their own purposes, report it. We must improve on those statistics for 2009 and put the thieves on notice that they will not have the cover of darkness any longer. 

Before asking ourselves about the possibility of having global online privacy we have to ask ourselves if we need to have global online privacy on the Internet?

In spite of the amazing growth of Internet usage, concerns about online privacy protection seem to be the primary concern of Internet users. This might become an obstacle to the diffusion of the Internet and the future growth of e-commerce. Therefore, understanding users' privacy concerns has become a main issue in the academic, business and government fields. Researchers try to establish what kind of information net users would like to disclose in terms of their gender, education, computer literacy and so on. 

When studying online privacy protection, there is a new concept involved. It is global privacy. In the Internet setting, privacy risks come not only from domestic companies but also from multinational companies. The boundaries of countries disappear. Several countries recognize the importance of data protection on the Internet and seek global cooperation. 

For example, the European Union (EU) and the United States have had a long debate about personal information protection obtained on the web. Thus, the EU sees online privacy in terms of human rights while the U.S. regards it as a business contract between Internet users and companies. 

However, is it possible to have so called global privacy without considering regional differences? Is it possible to have a global standard of online privacy protection? 

These are only a coupe of questions that we will try to find the answer in our future posts.