How to keep your browsing secret
Surfing the Internet, it's easy to forget how many organizations are watching what you do. Your Internet service provider, Google, the government and advertising companies are tracking all your moves online.
However, you can protect yourself from some of this spying. There's actually a simple trick that makes browsing much safer.
All major Web browser - Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera - has private, or incognito, browsing. Turning this on means your browser will ignore cookies - including ad-tracking cookies - and won't record your browsing history. It's almost like you weren't online.
Private browsing will keep your browsing safe from casual snoopers. Someone who jumps on your computer won't see where you've been.
When your browser is in private browsing mode, it will show a special icon. If you don't see the mask in Firefox, the spy in Chrome or the "InPrivate" in IE, then you aren't secure.
CTRL+SHIFT+P on most browsers and CTRL+SHIFT+N in chrome. You can also enable private browsing mode from your browser's main menu.
A more dedicated snooper might be able to find out by looking at your browser cache. This can still keep images and code from sites you visit. A program like CCleaner can wipe this information for you.
your Internet service provider still knows where you go, and the government can just request that information.
There are a few ways around this. The easiest is with a Web-based proxy like KProxy. Load any website in Kproxy's URL bar and the site routes your request through another computer.
Your ISP won't see what site you're really visiting, and the site you're visiting won't see your real IP address. The catch is that proxy sites can often load pages slowly.
While these tools obscure your Web travels, don't think you can get away with any wrongdoing online. If you engage in illegal activity, rest assured that law enforcement can and will find out about it.
However, you can protect yourself from some of this spying. There's actually a simple trick that makes browsing much safer.
All major Web browser - Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera - has private, or incognito, browsing. Turning this on means your browser will ignore cookies - including ad-tracking cookies - and won't record your browsing history. It's almost like you weren't online.
Private browsing will keep your browsing safe from casual snoopers. Someone who jumps on your computer won't see where you've been.
When your browser is in private browsing mode, it will show a special icon. If you don't see the mask in Firefox, the spy in Chrome or the "InPrivate" in IE, then you aren't secure.
CTRL+SHIFT+P on most browsers and CTRL+SHIFT+N in chrome. You can also enable private browsing mode from your browser's main menu.
A more dedicated snooper might be able to find out by looking at your browser cache. This can still keep images and code from sites you visit. A program like CCleaner can wipe this information for you.
your Internet service provider still knows where you go, and the government can just request that information.
There are a few ways around this. The easiest is with a Web-based proxy like KProxy. Load any website in Kproxy's URL bar and the site routes your request through another computer.
Your ISP won't see what site you're really visiting, and the site you're visiting won't see your real IP address. The catch is that proxy sites can often load pages slowly.
While these tools obscure your Web travels, don't think you can get away with any wrongdoing online. If you engage in illegal activity, rest assured that law enforcement can and will find out about it.