Internet Privacy: Here are my top 15 tips for surfing anonymously:

1. Don't use your browser for email. They require you to enter your email address, and in some cases, your name. For an example of what can be detected about you by the sites you visit, take my privacy test or visit Browser Spy.

2. As a follow-up to the above, don't use Microsoft™ Outlook or Outlook Express. These are hooked into Microsoft Internet Explorer and the Windows operating system. Plus, they're vulnerable to viruses, many of which send off emails to everyone in your address book.

3. Read the privacy policy for the sites you visit, especially if entering contests. They are forced by law to tell you if your personal information will be shared or sold. Those that do so usually means more spam in your mailbox.

4. Don't sign friends up for anything without their express permission. Even sending a free electronic greeting card can result in them getting more spam. You have no right to share their personal information with anyone, especially their email address. Send the card to yourself and when you receive the email containing the URL for the card, send the URL to your friend.

5. Use an ISP that guarantees your privacy and anonomity. Earthlink is the best; America Online is the worst.

6. Don't download and install spyware. These programs keep track of your browsing habits and report back to the owners of the software. To see if you have spyware on your system, download Ad-Aware or visit SpyChecker.

7. Flush your browser's cache and history often. Sites can tell what site and page you came from. I'ts called a "referral page," and shows up in their logs. The smaller your browser's history of visited sites is, the less they can tell where you've visited.

   Internet Explorer: From the menu, select Tools -> Internet Options. Press the "Clear History" button. Under the "Temporary Internet Files" section, press the "Delete Files" button. This will flush the cache. Under the "Advanced" tab, uncheck "Use inline autocomplete for web addresses" and "Use inline autocomplete in Windows Explorer."

   Netscape Navigator: On the menu,. select Edit -> Preferences. Click on the plus sign (+) next to "Advanced," then select "Cache." Clear both the memory and disk cache. You should also select "Navigator," and then click on "Clear History" and "Clear Location Bar."

8. If you must use an Instant Messenger program, enter only the absolutely necessary information to get you started. NEVER enter phone numbers, addresses, etc.

9. Beware of sweepstakes and contests. Read the fine print. What do they do with your address? Your email address? Your phone number? Which should never be your real phone number anyway - I always enter my area code and 867-5309. I certainly don't want them to call me at home.

10. Don't send or email messages to a large group of people, especially if they don't all know each other. This has more to do with respecting others' privacy. If someone gives you their email address, you have no right to pass it along to others without their permission. Would you send their phone number out to a large group of people? I'm sure you wouldn't want someone to send your email out to a large group of people, so please keep that in mind.

11. On the same note, remove email address from any emails you forward. Not only will this make the email easier to read, but it respects the privacy of everyone who's previously received the email. If everyone follows these last two rules, everyone's privacy will be maintained.

12. Take Roger Ebert's Boulder (CO conference) Pledge: "Under no circumstances will I every purchase anything offered to me as the result of an unsolicited e-mail message. Nor will I forward chain letters, petitions, mass mailings, or virus warnings to large numbers of others. This is my contribution to the survival of the online community."

13. Controlling spam #1: Create a "secret" identity. You should have a primary email address that you only give out to family and friends, and another one for subscribing to newsletters, joining sites, entering contests, purchasing goods on the web, etc. This will insure your primary personal mailbox gets little to no spam, and you'll know where all your important messages are without having to sort through garbage.

14. Controlling spam #2: Don't respond to spam or pop-up ads. "Unsubscribing" only proves to them that your email address is valid, and you'll only receive more spam. You don't want to give spammers your email address, do you? Spam can also contain "web bugs," scripts that report back to the sender, letting them know you opened the email and that your address is therefore valid.

15. Controlling spam #3: Take advantage of filters. Your ISP might have a spam-blocking service, and your email software should have a filtering function. When you receive spam, create a filter by keyword (i.e. Viagara) or sender (i.e. bubba643@nosuch.net). Send those messages to the trash or delete them for good.

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