Taking
Care of Your Computer
As you would have seen by now, the personal
computer has not remained a mere computational device
but has become an entertainment and communications device as
well. As we store more and more of our valuable data including
photos, videos and music on our computer, it becomes very
important that we protect our PC from outside attacks as well
as ensure that our data remains safe.
Safety and
Security
One of the most attractive features of the Internet is its
openness. It has made it possible for people all around the
world to easily establish communication and exchange
information. However, this openness has also led to problems
like virus attacks and breaching of privacy. It is therefore
very important for every computer user to understand what steps
they can take to ensure that their PC and valuable data stay
safe as also how they can protect their privacy.
Unknown to you, almost every time you go online – to browse the web, download
a file, send email or just read a blog – you are leaving behind
an unmistakable trail of personal data. Most of it remains on
your computer but some does get transmitted to other parties.
By taking some steps you can ensure who gets to see this
private data and who does not.
• If you have been using company email to send and receive
emails, you should be aware that you would have very little
privacy. Most businesses believe they have a right and in fact,
a responsibility to monitor your email as you represent the
company, use the company equipment and your mail is transmitted
through company networks.
The best solution is for you to get a private email address
for all your personal communication. We have already mentioned
a number of free Webmail service that offer you excellent email
services along with many other powerful features. Try to use
your business email address for business communications
only.
• If you are sending confidential information through email,
you should know that your email can be easily read and that it
is important to encrypt your message. A simple and free
encryption program like PGP can serve your needs well.
• Never ever respond to junk email. By doing so you
are just confirming that your email address is valid. Simply
hit the ‘Delete’ button. You can also report the spam to your
ISP or use spam filters set up by email services like Gmail and
Hotmail.
• Many websites use a small file called a cookie to record
some personal information about you as also to log your
activities on the website. This helps the website to understand
the requirements of their users better. However, if you do not
want any website to record any information about your visit,
you can always set your browser to delete all cookies.
-If you are using Internet Explorer, choose Tools ->
Internet Options. On the ‘General’ tab, go to ‘Browsing
History’ and click on ‘Delete’. Then click on ‘Delete
Cookies’. You may be prompted to make sure that this is
what you want to do – click ‘Yes’, to delete the
cookies.
-If you are using Firefox, choose Tools -> Options.
Click ‘Privacy’ and then ‘Show Cookies’. In the new window
that opens, just click on ‘Remove All Cookies’.
•Many websites request that you sign up for an account with
them before you can access the information on their site.
Before you start filling out any personal information, you
should go through their privacy policy. Every reputable site
will post one in a prominent location. You should be told what
the website will do with the information that is being
collected, how it will be protected and if it is going to be
sold or shared with any third party. If the site does not
mention a privacy policy or is vague about it, you should be
careful about the kind of information you are providing and
perhaps even avoid doing so.
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