How to Keep Your Online Habits Private

Is your office cubicle rivaling the restroom as the most frequented area in your workplace? If it is, then I bet my last penny that your PC is the very thing that draws them to that little piece of real estate that you have in the building.

There’s an unwritten rule in the office that you have to open up your PC to others that need one, especially if those persons outrank you in the corporate hierarchy even by just a hairline. Needless to say, your constitutional right to privacy isz virtually suspended when you’re at work.

But this doesn’t mean that you can’t keep nosy people from prying in your private life in cyberspace. There’s nothing more annoying or disturbing than the thought that everybody in the office knew what you did on the Web the previous day.

If you want to keep your files and your surfing habits private without putting a yellow line in front of your PC, then I suggest that you consider the following tips:

1.  Activate InPrivate Browsing.

Internet Explorer 8 allows you to cloak vital information regarding your browsing history. This would prevent others from knowing what Web sites you’ve laid your eyes on. To activate this feature in IE 8, go to the menu bar and click on Tools * InPrivate Browsing. A new browser window will open bearing an “InPrivate” sign right beside the address bar. If you’re using Firefox 3.1, you could activate the feature by accessing Tools * Private Browsing.

2.  Lock Out Attempts on Your System Password

If your PC is communal property, then there’s no stopping persons from endlessly trying to guess what your password is. While you may not limit the number of people that use your computer, you may limit the number of guesses that they could conjure on your password. To do this in Windows Vista, Click Start, then type “Local Security Policy.” Point your cursor at Account Lockout Policy, then choose Account Lockout Threshold. When the prompt appears, put the number of log-in attempts that you desire.

3.  Place Sensitive Data or Downloads on a Removable Disk

If you think that private browsing settings and passwords would not be able to ward off your nosy officemate from uncloaking the things that you’re hiding in your PC, then it’s best to put important and sensitive files on a separate disk. Use your hard drive only for files that you’re willing to share.