How to Take Back Your Privacy

Heightened Alert

The following tips take more effort, but they can buy you a lot more privacy.

>>TIP Ease your pane. Leaving open the preview pane in your e-mail program could allow malicious spam messages to launch JavaScript apps on your PC. To close it in Outlook Express, select View, Layout and then uncheck the Show Preview Pane box. In Netscape Mail, highlight a message in your in-box, open the View menu, and uncheck Message.

>>TIP Engage in counterespionage. Many free applications (especially file-sharing programs) install so-called spyware--software that tracks your movements online and sends ads based on your perceived interests. To detect and delete spyware, use a utility such as Lavasoft's Ad-aware. For further information, see "Stealth Ad Invasion" (November 2001 News and Trends).

>>TIP Install a firewall. Essential gear for broadband users, a firewall such as Zone Labs' ZoneAlarm is useful for anyone who logs a lot of Net time. Besides fending off hackers, firewalls can tell you if any program (such as a Trojan horse or spyware) is trying to send data to the Net behind your back.

>>TIP Be wary of attachments. A good antivirus app like Norton's (see "Net Toolbox") is essential, but common sense also helps. For example, never open attached files unless they're from someone you know and you were expecting them. Friends could unwittingly send you a virus, so check with them first before opening dubious attachments.

>>TIP Lower your profile. Ask to be removed from online directories--that is, unless you want everyone to have access to your name, address, and phone number. The site's privacy policy will usually tell you how to do this. For example, look at the policies for Switchboard and Anywho.

>>TIP Crumble third-party cookies. Some cookies make it easier for you to log on to your favorite sites or to purchase items; others can track where you surf. Use a manager like Cookie Crusher, or set your browser to block third-party cookies (ones sent from a source other than the site you're visiting). In Internet Explorer, select Tools, Internet Options, Privacy, Advanced; then set it to override automatic cookie handling and to block third-party cookies.

>>TIP Unsubscribe with caution. Some unsolicited e-mail is sent by legitimate groups that honor unsubscribe requests. But spammers use such requests to verify e-mail addresses--and send you more spam. How do you tell the difference? If the e-mail tries to drive you to a Web site, look up the site's domain registration on Whois. Does the record list a valid phone number and street address? (Most spammers use fake addresses or mailboxes.) Is it coming from overseas? (Many spammers operate offshore.) Is the administrator's e-mail address from a free account? (Legitimate businesses typically don't use them.) If you're still unsure, delete and don't unsubscribe.

>>TIP Get delisted. Tell the Direct Marketing Association to take you off its members' lists. You can do this for $5 online, or free via postal mail. This will reduce (though not eliminate) the junk mail, spam, and unwanted calls you receive, but you may not see a difference for about six months.

>>TIP Disapprove credit offers. Opt out of getting preapproved credit offers by calling the credit reporting agencies' toll-free automated line at 888/567-8688. You'll need to give your address, phone number, and Social Security number. This cuts down on junk mail and makes identity theft harder for crooks who might steal such offers from your mailbox.

>>TIP Get phone-smart. "List just your phone number, not your address, in the phone book," says Robert Ellis Smith, of Providence, Rhode Island, who publishes the monthly newsletter Privacy Journal. "It's free, and marketers aren't interested in you if there's no zip code attached."