Cover your tracks online
If you're worried about someone knowing you
have visited this website or if you’re worried about protecting
your privacy when using the internet or e-mail services please read
the following advice. However, please note the information provided
below is for guidance only and may not completely cover your
tracks.
The safest way to use the internet privately
is to do it in a safe place. This could be at a local library, a
friend’s house or at work. However, remember when using a public
computer to always log out of Web sites by clicking "log out" on
the site. It's not enough to simply close the browser window or
type in another address.
Many programs (especially Web mail and instant
messenger programs) include automatic login features that will save
your user name and password. Disable this option before logging in
so no one can log in as you.
Your website history, cache file and
cookies
As a rule, internet browsers will save certain
information as you surf the internet. This includes images and
graphics from websites visited, words entered into search engines
and a trail ('history') that reveals the sites you have visited.
This is usually so the next time you visit the same website the
pages will download faster.
This means that other people can find out
which websites you have visited by looking through your computer’s
history or cache file. You can clear your history or empty your
cache file in your browser’s settings. However, you need to be
aware that there is a risk involved in removing data from your
computer. If other people use the same computer, if you delete the
cookies or delete the browsing history it is likely that they will
notice, for instance they may have saved a password for a
particular social networking website which will now no longer work
if the cookies have been deleted.
Which browser are you using ?
If you do not know the type of browser you are
using, there is a simple way to find out. At the top of the browser
window click on “Help”. A drop down menu will appear and will
include an entry “About Internet Explorer” or “About
Firefox”. If you click on this option a window will open
which will provide you with details of the browser you are using
and the version number.
How to delete the browser history and
cache
Internet Explorer 6
Click on the Tools menu and select Internet
Options.
On the General page, under Temporary Internet
Files, click on Delete Cookies and then OK.
Click on Delete Files, put a tick in the box
labeled Delete all offline content and click OK.
Under History, click on Clear History and then
OK.
Now look at the top of the window and click on
the Content tab, select AutoComplete and finally, Clear Forms.
Internet Explorer 7
Click on the Tools menu and select Internet
Options.
In the General page under Browser History,
select the Delete button.
Now either select and delete each section
listed, choosing from : Temporary internet files; Cookies, History;
Forms data and Passwords; or select the Delete all button at the
bottom to clear everything.
Internet Explorer 8
For users of Internet Explorer 8 or Windows 7,
details can be found on the Microsoft website at :
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/Windows7/Delete-webpage-history
Firefox 1
Click on Tools and then Options, then click on
Privacy.
Click on the Clear button next to History;
Saved Form Information; Cookies and Cache.
Firefox 2
Click on Tools and then Options, then click on
Privacy.
At private data select settings, ensure that
all boxes have been selected and then click on Clear Now
Firefox 3
Click on Tools and then Options, then click on
Privacy.
Now select from the option to clear your
recent history or remove individual cookies.
Netscape 7
Click on the Edit menu and select
Preferences.
In the left pane, expand History then in the
right area click Clear History.
Next, expand Privacy and Security and select
Cookies then on the button Manage Stored Cookies and in the new
dialog box click Remove All Cookies.
Then repeat similar for Forms and the Manage
Stored Form Data button and the same for Passwords and the Manage
Stored Passwords button.
Aditionally, you may Manage Forms, Cookies and
Passwords individually from the Tools menu - but not the temporary
page Cache files.
Opera
Click on Tools and then Preferences.
Click on the Advanced tab and then the History
section on the left-hand side.
Click the Clear button to the right of
Addresses and the Empty Now button to the right of Disk
cache. Opera does not have an easy way to clear all
Cookies.
Google Chrome
Click the tool wrench icon in the upper-right
corner of the toolbar and from the dropdown menu select “Clear
Browsing Data”.
Use the checkboxes to select the data you wish
to clear. By using the “Clear data from this period” option you can
specify the period for which you want the data cleared.
Finally click the “Clear Browsing Data”
button.
Safari (often used on Apple
Macs)
Resetting Safari clears the history, empties
the cache, clears the Downloads
window, and removes all cookies. It also removes any saved user
names and
passwords or other AutoFill data and clears Google/Yahoo search
entries.
To do this go to the Safari menu at top left
hand screen. Choose Reset Safari, and click Reset.