Secret Tips for Internet Privacy

Want to see me get riled up and go on a rant? Go ahead--just ask me about how my inalienable right to Internet privacy is being eroded, bit by bloody bit.

You can grab a comprehensive look at how thoroughly we're being followed around the Web in Contributing Editor Dan Tynan's "Privacy 2000: In Web We Trust?" It's absorbing reading.

Then whiz over to my Home Office column "Fight for Your Online Privacy." In it I give you the lowdown on protecting your privacy with some valuable--and free--utilities.

By the way, after I wrote that column I discovered WebWasher, a free cookie-removing, ad-blocking, pop-up-window-disabling program.

Another nifty utility is from my privacy-guarding hero, Steve Gibson. Gibson's LeakTest determines if your firewall is secure (and it caused an uproar in the firewall industry). Read "Firewalls Plug Holes Revealed by Security Test" and then download Gibson's LeakTest.

Dig this: Right about now you might be feeling cranky about your loss of privacy. Distract yourself with some fascinating high-speed, stop-action photos, such as "Striking a Match With a BB" and "Popping the Bottom Off a Glass Bottle."

Privacy? We're Not Finished

My follow-up article on privacy, "Keep Web Snoops at Bay," guides you through the hassles of finding out who's tracking you--and how to stop them.

Even if you don't read the column (hey, careful now, I'm sensitive), there's a file you really need to get. Ad-Aware detects and removes spyware from your hard drive, eliminating yet another way Web sites track your movements and behavior. It's a freebie, a quick download, and a no-brainer to use.

Dig this: What's the word that describes when you're sitting around in a group discussing why a deadline was missed or why a project failed, and who was responsible? Blamestorming. (Oh, yeah, like you've never done it?)

Who's That Watching (and Listening)?

You may not have gotten wind of the latest assault on Internet privacy. It's e-mail wiretapping that affects Microsoft Outlook 2000, Outlook Express 5, and Netscape 6. And boy, is it a humdinger.

Imagine getting an HTML e-mail from a coworker. There are a couple of fancy fonts, maybe a few colors, but nothing unusual, right? Nope, not right. Because the mail's embedded with a dozen lines of hidden JavaScript code. That little bit of coding lets someone (say, your coworker) secretly monitor those forwarded messages with attachments. Unscrupulous? Sure--and I'll bet you know someone who'd try it.

We have a story about e-mail wiretapping and how it works, and the article also describes a comforting work-around.

I didn't have a clue that my CPU could be ratting on me. Some Web sites can theoretically use your Pentium III chip's processor serial number (aka the PSN) to uncover your surfing habits. It's unlikely to be a problem, but if you're paranoid (hey, stop pointing at me), you don't want to take any chances. Contributing Editor Lincoln Spector demystifies the PSN and points you to a tool that disables it. It's a quick read.

You Want More? We've Got It

Learn what cookies are and how they work, in this article.

Find out about three utilities that can help protect your privacy in "Privacy Watch: Don't Get Mad--Get Software."

Dig this: OK, take a break and stare at this amazing GIF of a pool with rippling water. You won't believe how the author made it look so real.

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