pc tuneup  

Tuneup Internet Privacy
As people use the Internet for more and more everyday tasks, personal information is more and more likely to be in the hands of others. Online banking and shopping are just a couple examples of when your confidential information could be at risk. There are different types of Internet privacy concerns for the typical home user.

One situation involves local access. People that have physical access to your PC can view your browser's history to see what websites you have visited on a specific date. If you would like to learn how to manually protect yourself from this specific situation, please read our clearing history article from our 'How To' section. People with local access to your computer can also read your messenger logs, view the files that you have recently viewed, and do many other things that may invade your personal space. You can protect yourself from these types of threats by installing a privacy control application such as Privacy Controls.

Another privacy issue, which is usually of higher concern, is with respect to spyware and adware. This usually involves the installation of software, without your knowledge, that can record each and every keystroke you press - including your passwords. Adware applications can monitor your browsing habits and the sites you visit, and then send you annoying, targetted advertising.

Along the same tracks is phishing. This is when a person, but more often a site, pretends to be someone else so that you mistakeningly give them your confidential information. PayPal, eBay and online banking sites are often the types of sites that are faked in an online phishing attempt. For example, you may receive an email informing you that you need to log into an online bank account to update your address. More often than not, you don't even have an account with that banking site. But for those unfortunate people that do, they may unsuspectingly click the link in the fraudulent email and be taken to a site that looks identical to their real banking site - except it is a fake. The user then logs in with their username and password as they usually do and before they realize what has happened, online thieves have recorded their login information and can now log into their real online banking website. They will be able to do email money transfers, complete transactions, obtain credit card information, etc. This is a common occurrence that leads to identity theft, another concern related to Internet privacy.