Internet Basics Articles

Article / Updated 04-27-2023

Google Chrome takes seriously the privacy and security of your content while you browse the web, because, like it or not, there are certain people out there who will try to take advantage of you by trying to get a hold of the information on your computer. As with most things in life, it’s better to be safe than sorry when protecting your personal information. If you’re working with a personal (that is, non-work) computer, managing these settings is your responsibility. But if you’re using a work computer, you may find that your employer’s IT department is already enforcing some of these settings according to its security policy. Those settings will appear grayed-out and with a little buildings icon next to it, meaning that you can’t change them. Here’s a rundown of what all those content privacy settings mean. Cookies Cookies allow external websites to store information on your computer to help them remember you. This information may include the last time you visited the site, the links you’ve clicked, and so on. You may not want external websites to set that kind of data on your computer, or your employer may not want them to. Just check the box to block third-party cookies and site data if you don’t want websites to have that kind of access. Images Deciding whether to show images on websites isn’t really a security concern, but not showing images can speed up your browsing considerably. You’ll miss out on a lot, though. You may only want to disable images if your connection is very slow or if you’re on a data plan (for example, if you’re on the road and tethering your laptop to your phone’s data connection so that you can access the internet). Downloading images can eat into your allowed data quickly, and if you’re interested only in the text, why waste your data? JavaScript JavaScript can be a major security concern. JavaScript applications are tiny programs that run on websites. Most above-board websites use JavaScript in a positive, nonthreatening way, such as gathering website traffic data (that is, tracking where you go and what you click on their website). However, some not-so-nice websites can use JavaScript to try to get at the information on your computer. If you’re in the habit of visiting only nice websites, then you can leave JavaScript enabled; however, if you tend to venture on the wild side of the web, you may want to disable JavaScript. Handlers Handlers are external applications (that is, not your browser) on your computer that are allowed to handle certain tasks. For example, if you click a link for someone’s email address, it’s very likely that Chrome will tell your default email application to open so that you can write a new message to the recipient. Websites may ask you if you’d like them to handle certain tasks for you. It’s up to you to decide whether to let them. Rest assured, websites can’t do this without your permission, which is why they ask. Plugins Plugins are little applications that you install in your browser to enhance its functionality. You might also call then Add-ons. Plugins are a great way to enable your browser to do things more easily. For example, if you frequently take screenshots of websites, you can get a screenshot plugin that enables you to take a screenshot with just one or two clicks. But plugins can also do some nefarious things, which is why you may want to limit their use. Pop-ups We all know about pop-ups — those mostly annoying browser windows that pop up with advertisements, interrupting the flow of what you’re doing. It’s worse than TV commercials! Sometimes, though, pop-ups are necessary, such as when you’re purchasing something online. But that’s a relatively rare situation compared to when ads pop up, so it’s best to keep pop-ups disabled and add exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Location Some websites may want to know where you’re located, such as a shopping site asking you where you are so that it can show you pricing for the nearest store. Most of the time, this is harmless. But still, you may not want people to know where you are. So, it’s probably best to not allow websites to know where you are, except for when they ask and you decide to let them know. Note, though, that for your work computer, your IT department may completely disable this so that, no matter what, websites can’t know where you are. Notifications Chrome allows websites to provide desktop notifications, such as when new emails arrive in your web-based email app or the latest football scores or weather updates. The default for this setting is to have websites ask if you want to receive notifications. But if you know for sure that you either want or don’t want them, you can change this setting appropriately. Fullscreen Believe it or not, some websites have the audacity to want to take over your entire screen. Luckily, Chrome makes them ask first, so you can rightfully say no. You can use this setting to specify exceptions — that is, sites that you want to automatically take over your screen, such as gaming sites. Mouse cursor You may not realize this, but an external website can disable your mouse cursor if it wants to. For example, online games may disable your mouse cursor during play. You can decide whether you want websites to be able to do this; the default is that they have to ask. Protected content Protected content is usually content that you’ve subscribed to or purchased the right to view on your computer. If you do this often, you’ll want to make sure the Allow box is checked for this option. Media Some websites, such as sites that offer web conferencing, may want to use your microphone and camera. That’s perfectly understandable, given the usage. But beware websites that you don’t know that want access. That’s why Chrome asks for your permission before granting access. But if you’re sure you’d never want a website to have that kind of access, choose Do Not Allow from the options. Unsandboxed plugin access Chrome runs all of its plug-ins in a sandboxed environment, which means that it limits the access that the plug-ins have to your computer. That way, they can’t cause all kinds of havoc on your computer. Some plug-ins, however, require unrestricted access. You can safely allow the above-board add-ons, such as a streaming video player from a company you trust (such as your cable company), to run outside of the sandboxed environment. But you should be very careful about giving that kind of access to any and all plug-ins. It’s best to let Chrome ask when to run plug-ins outside of the sandbox. Automatic downloads Some websites may try to force Chrome to download multiple files — and some of them may be harmful. For example, if you download one file by choice, the site may try to download another file after that without your permission. Obviously, you don’t want websites downloading stuff to your computer without your permission, so it’s best to keep the Ask When option selected. MIDI devices full control MIDI is an old technology that allows for digital communication between electronic musical instruments. What does this have to do with Chrome? Well, believe it or not, your computer contains MIDI support (and has for a long, long time). Websites can access those MIDI devices to make music in your Chrome browser. Will you ever use this? Probably not, but you might as well leave the default Ask Me option selected. Most of these settings have a Manage Exceptions button that enables you to set which sites you want to exclude from a particular exception. So, for example, if you don’t want to download images on most sites except for a few, then you can list the exceptions under that setting.

Article / Updated 04-25-2023

Google Translate gives you a Phrasebook in which you can save translated words and phrases. You can view your Phrasebook on your computer or your smartphone or tablet, so if you have words and phrases that you use often in a different language, you can access them from anywhere. Google Translate’s Phrasebook is fine for remembering various words and phrases that it translates for you. However, if you are traveling and you need an actual phrasebook to help with the language of the country you’re traveling to, Google Translate’s Phrasebook won’t help much — unless you take the time to type in, translate, and save all the phrases you think you’ll need. But why do that when you can get a real phrasebook, either a book or an app for your smartphone or tablet? Luckily, some phrasebook apps are either free or cost only a few bucks. Add a phrase to your Phrasebook on your computer First, go to translate.google.com and log in to your Google account. Though Google Translate is available for use without an account, your Phrasebook is saved within your Google account, so you have to log in to add to it. Type in a word or phrase you want to translate in the text box on the right, and choose the language you want it translated into on the left. Then follow these steps: In the box that shows your translation, click the Star icon. The star will turn yellow, and you’ll see the number 1 in a red circle on the Star button in the top right. To view your Phrasebook, click the Star button in the top right. Your Phrasebook displays on the right, showing the phrase you just added (see Figure 1). You have a few things you can do within the Phrasebook. Take a look: You can search for a phrase in your Phrasebook using the search field above the list. If you have multiple Phrasebook entries in different languages, you can choose to view All Languages or view a selected language from the drop-down menu. You can sort the order of your entries by Recently Added or alphabetical by the Original Text. You can export your Phrasebook items to Google Sheets (Google’s spreadsheet program that’s part of Google Drive) by clicking the Export to Google Sheets icon at the right. If you hover over a translated item in the list, you’ll see speaker icons next to the original text and the translation. Click the icons to hear the phrases spoken aloud. Figure 1: Google Translate’s Phrasebook in action Add a phrase to your Phrasebook on your mobile device If you haven’t already, download the Google Translate app from the iOS App Store or Google Play Store for Android, and then launch the app and sign in to your Google account. Follow these steps: Type in a phrase to translate and tap the blue circle with the arrow to translate. In the box that shows your translation, tap the Star icon. The star turns yellow. To view your Phrasebook in iOS, tap the Star icon at the bottom of the screen. To view your Phrasebook in Android, tap the Menu icon and tap Phrasebook. You have the same search, sort, and audio options in the app as you have in a web browser. Because your Phrasebook is part of your Google account, it stays synchronized whether you’re using it on your computer or on your mobile device.

Article / Updated 10-19-2022

Craigslist is the modern version of the classifieds that formerly propagated the newspapers. A great venue for selling locally, Craigslist can be useful for unloading your old wares. However, if you plan to use these classifieds frequently, you will need to know how to spot a scam on Craigslist. But, how do you know if a Craigslist ad is a scam? Here are a few quick tips for spotting Craigslist scams: Avoid deals that seem too good to be true. Look out for ads that display a sense of urgency. Watch for deals where the seller asks for money upfront to secure the item. Be smart about how you pay. If an ad offers an item for sale that doesn’t match the image, it’s likely a scam. Don’t send money to someone offering a deal from out of your local area. Avoid ads with multiple misspellings or grammar errors. Make sure the seller is willing to meet in person. If a Craigslist ad doesn’t feel right, it’s probably a scam. Even Craigslist encourages buyers and sellers to trust their instincts. If something seems off, abandon the deal. Avoid Craigslist ads that seem too good to be true Before buying on Craigslist, it’s a good idea to do a little research. Perform an internet search to determine the retail value of the item for sale. You can go one step further and check sites like eBay or OfferUp to see what the going used price is for the item (or a similar item) you are buying. Once you have determined the approximate value, compare this against the condition of the item. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t buy items from a Craigslist seller who seems too urgent You might see Craigslist ads that offer extreme deals because the seller is “moving soon,” or “needs cash quickly.” Beware of ads that display a strong sense of urgency. Often, urgency is used to coerce the buyer into making a purchase without providing time for research or thinking about the deal in greater detail. If sellers want to entice you into a quick deal, there’s usually a reason, and it's probably not a nice one. Never send payment in advance for a Craigslist item Craigslist is intended to be a localized selling site. Users are even routed to their local area when they search for Craigslist in an internet search. Sellers should be willing to meet in person and bring the item they are selling. If a seller encourages you to send a down payment or any form of money before receiving your item, this is a strong indication that they are trying to scam buyers. Some Craigslist scammers may ask you to send money to a foreign address because they “have suddenly been stationed overseas,” or something similar. These posts often promise that your item will be shipped when they receive payment and are almost always a scam. Meet in person to make your Craigslist purchase Meeting a Craigslist seller in person gives you the opportunity to review the item before locking yourself into the deal. You also want to give some thought to your payment method. If you are buying a lower-priced item, cash is always a good way to go. However, if you are making a larger purchase, such as a car, you might consider a cashier’s check so that you have evidence of the transaction. Meeting in person also gives you a chance to look at the item and determine the condition. If the item is damaged, you may want to negotiate a lower price or abandon the transaction all together. When determining your payment method, avoid giving any identification information which could be used against you. Craigslist ads are meant to foster transactions between a buyer and a seller. If a seller offers to use third-party services or encourages you to pay through a money wiring company, that is a red flag that something isn’t right. Make sure to exercise caution when meeting a seller in person. This article offers some safety tips. Pay close attention to the Craigslist ad description Craigslist prohibits the use of identical ads to prevent spamming. To circumvent this rule, sellers sometimes post an identical ad with a different image. If the image doesn’t match, that’s not a good sign. In addition, avoid ads that use vague or overly generalized language. Genuine sellers typically provide a wealth of information to describe the item and its condition. Beware of Craigslist ads with multiple misspellings, grammar errors, and the use of special characters It’s not uncommon to see a few errors in Craigslist ads. Humans make mistakes. However, if an ad is fraught with several errors, misuse of punctuation, and an overabundance of special characters (such as !, %, &, among others), it is likely to be a scam. Avoid these Craigslist posts. Check out Craigslist’s site to see a few examples of confirmed scams. Here's an example of what this type of scam might look like: Also, keep an eye out for keyword jamming. In certain cases, scammers will post ads that seem almost nonsensical in an effort to gain interest by stuffing an ad with keywords. Read the Craigslist ad thoroughly to ensure that it makes sense and sounds credible.

Article / Updated 07-25-2022

Craigslist is a great way to sell unwanted items. Rather than hosting a garage sale, where you need to amass a large amount of items to attract interested buyers, Craigslist makes it easy to post single items for sale. If you want to put something on Craigslist, just follow these simple steps: Navigate to Craigslist.The website will automatically provide you with local classifieds that fit your location. However, if this is inaccurate, you can simply find your desired location in the column on the right side of the screen. You can also click on the city name in the top bar and type in the city you are seeking. Once you have chosen your desired location, choose the Post to Classifieds option in the top left corner.You can also choose to sign into your account if you have an existing Craigslist profile or you can post your ad anonymously. From here, you will see a page which asks you to choose a category for your post.Choosing an appropriate category makes it more likely that your post will be noticed. Next, you will be taken to a page to choose a subcategory. Select the most appropriate option.This helps you more clearly define your ad so that it receives more attention. Enter a title, body, postal code, and any other required information for your sale item.The information outlined in green is required to post your ad. Information that is outlined in black is optional for the seller. After you enter the details for your ad, choose the Continue button. A page will appear with a map. This allows you to provide location information.Here, you can offer your location information for buying purposes. You can do this by dragging the location marker to your location or entering your location into the provided boxes. Make your selection. Click continue.Next, you will be sent to the Add Images page. On the Add Images page, select the Add Image button.This will open the images stored on whatever device you are using. The picture is an important part of your Craigslist sale post. Try to take a clear image of what you are selling. Consider adding multiple images which display different angles to offer a potential buyer the best view possible of your item. Select your images.Your image should not be larger than 600 pixels wide and 450 pixels in height. Check Chron for more recommendations on image requirements for Craigslist. When finished, choose Done with Images.You will see the final page in the Craigslist post process. Here, you will review your ad to see how it will appear to other Craigslist users. If you need to make changes, select edit post, edit location, or edit images respectively to make any modifications. Once you have made any final edits and like the appearance of your Craigslist sale post, choose the Publish button.A confirmation email will be sent to the email address you specified. When you receive the confirmation email, open and select the link to publish your Craigslist sale post (don’t delete this email). Congratulations! You have posted your item for sale. Once your item sells, don’t forget to cancel your Craigslist sale ad via the email link. How to take a good picture for your Craigslist ad One of the easiest ways to get your Craigslist ad noticed is to use a striking picture. You don’t need a high-end camera. These days, most smartphones come equipped with a camera good enough to capture a strong image. Here are some tips for taking a good photo. Make sure you have good lighting: Dark images make details difficult to see and are off-putting to potential buyers. Pay attention to what is in the background: Take time to set up a shot so that the background is not displeasing and doesn’t distract from your main focus: your sale. Take pictures from multiple angles: Move around your subject and take several pictures. Get a close-up shot and one from a distance. Take multiple shots that shows different angles of what you are selling and that provide perspectives of any details you want to highlight or any flaws in your sale. Show the size of your sale: Sometimes, it is difficult to see the scale of an item when there is nothing to compare it to. Think about adding something that illustrates the size of your object. For example, a pair of earrings could be one inch long or three inches long. A buyer looking for something flashy may not be interested in a smaller size. Include an item that doesn’t change in size for comparison, such as a dollar bill or a soda can. Tips for safe selling on Craigslist Craigslist allows sellers to post information anonymously. While many find this feature enticing, you will want to take steps to ensure your safety when conducting a transaction. Follow these tips to stay safe: Never give out your address to any buyer. Meet buyers in a visible, public, well-lit place, such as a police station or grocery store parking lot. Take a friend with you or let someone know where you are going and when you plan to return. Remove geotags from your images before posting to Craigslist. Take a phone. Your safety is paramount. Trust your instincts. If you don’t feel safe, abandon the sale immediately. Good luck with your sale!

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-23-2022

Over the last 20 years, surfing the internet, browsing the web, emailing, and online chat have become part of everyday life. Here are pointers for browsing the web, signing up for email, and understanding what people are saying once you are online.

Article / Updated 12-20-2021

So you’ve been using Google Chrome for a while and you’ve accumulated a ton of bookmarks. Or perhaps you’ve imported a slew (or is that a gaggle?) of bookmarks into Chrome from another browser. Regardless, it’s time to organize them, because you’re the ever-efficient worker bee who is super-productive to the hive. Right? Seriously, if you spend much of your work life on the web, you probably have online resources that you check regularly. Organizing them is the best way to get to those resources more quickly. Thankfully, Chrome has a Bookmark Manager that can help you out. Accessing the Bookmark Manager To use the Bookmark Manager, first you have to find it. Here’s how: The upper-right corner of the browser window Source: Google Chrome In the upper-right corner of the browser, click the three little dots (see figure above). Hover over Bookmarks (see figure below), and then click Bookmarks Manager from the submenu that pops up. You will see that the Bookmark Manager acts very much like a file manager, with the ability to create folders into which you can file your bookmarks. You can also edit your bookmarks here. Creating new bookmark folders When you organize your bookmarks, it’s best to create folders to put them in. Just like with folders on your computer, you can nest folders within folders for categories, subcategories, and so on — it just depends on how organized you want to be. Here’s how to create a new bookmarks folder: Click the three dots icon in the upper-right corner of the Bookmark Manager window, and then select Add new folder. A box opens up where you can type in a name for the new folder. Repeat as necessary to have as many folders as you need. When you have all of your folders set up, you can easily drag and drop bookmarks (and even additional folders) into the folders. Creating folders in the Bookmarks Bar folder represents the epitome of organization. If you always have your Bookmarks Bar visible (and you do, don’t you?), then the folders act as drop-down menus in the Bookmarks Bar. Clicking the folder enables you to see all the bookmarks in the folder, any of which you can click to visit that web site. Editing a bookmark When you save a bookmark, Chrome likely uses the web page title (that is, what appears in the title bar of the browser) as the descriptive name of the bookmark. Sometimes that name is just too long and clogs up your Bookmarks Bar. You can edit the bookmark name and URL of the bookmark easily. Here’s how: In the Bookmark Manager window, right-click on any bookmark and choose Edit. The name and URL become editable text boxes. Make your changes, as needed, and by all means, shorten that bookmark name! If you want to manually create a bookmark, simply click the three dots icon in the upper-right corner of the Bookmark Manager window and select Add new bookmark. A box opens up where you can type in the name of the bookmark and copy and paste the URL to create your new bookmark.

Article / Updated 12-16-2021

Registering your blog’s domain name is a straightforward process. You use a domain registrar to buy your name, and then all you need to do is “point” your new domain at your web host. Many domain registration services are available. Visit any domain registrars to check whether your domain is available and then follow the domain registrar's instructions to register it. You can choose to register your domain for a single year or for multiple years at a time. Typically, registering for multiple years earns you a small discount. If you choose to register for only a year, you need to renew the domain in a year (assuming you want to keep your website going). Many domain registration companies also offer web-hosting and email packages. Choosing a domain registration service choice really comes down to the domain management interface — the tools that are provided to you in order to manage your domain. Some management screens are incredibly difficult to work with. Finding a host that has a clean and easy-to-use interface makes a world of difference when you’re updating or making changes to your web domain. Popular registrars include: GoDaddy: Provides a long list of web services from domain hosting, web hosting, and email address hosting. It has a decent reputation and is easy to contact should you require assistance. Network Solutions: One of the granddaddies of all registrars. At one time, it was one of the few places you could register a domain. Services are varied and flexible, but domains are a little pricier here. Rebel: Located in Canada, Rebel provides registrations for all major domains, including .com and .ca domains. It also provides internet hosting services, site development, email, website security, and search engine optimization services. Keep your blog’s domain registration up to date. If you have any changes to your domain or contact information including your email address, update your domain information immediately. If your information isn’t current, you could lose access to your domain or even miss e-mail reminders to renew your domain.

Article / Updated 12-16-2021

What good is a Google group without other people to talk to? If you’ve created a group that’s open, then you can wait for others with similar interests to find your group and join. But if you’ve created a closed group — for example, for a business project — you need to invite others to join the group. Follow these steps to invite people to your group: After logging in to your Google account and going to your Google group, click Manage in the upper right. In the left navigation, click Members and then choose Invite Members. You see the Invite Members screen (see the figure below). In the top field, type in or copy and paste the email address of those you want to invite. Separate each email address with a comma. You can invite as many people as you want. Invitees must have Google accounts to participate. In the bottom field, type in a message to your invitees. Your group’s name, description, and URL are automatically included in the email invitation, so this message can be something different than that. Your message can be up to 1,000 characters. Click the Send Invites button at the top. Your invitations are sent to the recipients. Your recipients will receive an email inviting them to the group. They must click the Accept This Invitation button to join the group. Invitations are good for seven days. If someone doesn’t accept an invitation within that time frame, you’ll have to resend the invitation. To do so, click Outstanding Invites in the left navigation, check the box of the invited member, and click the Resend Invitation button. You can also revoke an invitation for whatever reason. You can also directly add people without sending an invite. Click Direct Add Members in the left navigation and follow the same steps above. However, be careful when using this option. Make sure the members know that you’re adding them, because as soon as you add them, they will begin receiving email messages from the group. If you add people who don’t know or don’t want to participate, then you could have your account deactivated for spamming.

Article / Updated 12-14-2021

Google Chrome puts a premium on your online privacy and has a host of settings to help protect your privacy. If you’re using a personal (that is, non-work) computer, you’re responsible for those settings yourself. But if you’re using a company-provided computer, you may find that your IT department has already made some of those privacy decisions for you. To access Chrome’s privacy settings, follow these steps: Click the Chrome button in the top-right corner of the browser. Choose Settings. The Settings page displays in your browser. Scroll down and click the Show Advanced Settings link. Additional settings appear below. Scroll to the Privacy area, as displayed in the figure below. Your IT department may enforce certain privacy restrictions as part of their security policy. Those settings appear grayed out with a buildings icon next to them. You can’t change those settings, because your IT department likely has very good, security-minded reasons for enforcing them. Here’s a quick rundown of what all those settings mean: Content settings: You’ll find a whole slew of settings here to help determine how Chrome manages website content. Those are covered in this article: How to Decipher Google Chrome’s Content Privacy Settings. Clear browsing data: Use this to get rid of the browsing data that Chrome stores locally on your computer. This is covered in this article: How to Clear Your Google Chrome Browsing Data. Use a web service to help resolve navigation errors: If you try to visit a page that doesn’t load, Chrome can send back to Google for help. Google tries to resolve the issue for you by suggesting alternative pages. The reason this is a privacy setting is that Chrome sends where you’re trying to go to Google. If you don’t want it to, then make sure this box is unchecked. Use a prediction service to help complete searches and URLs typed in the address bar or the app launcher search box: Google tries to help you in auto-completing search phrases and URLs that you type in, based on your search and browsing history, as well as other web searches that have been done on Google. Again, data is sent to Google, which you may not want to share. If you don’t mind and find Google’s help valuable, then check this box. Prefetch resources to load pages more quickly (also known as “Predict network actions to improve page load performance”): This option can help speed up your browsing. When you visit a site, Chrome analyzes the links on the page and contacts those sites to download all the resources needed to render the page even before you click the link. This can make the next page display lickety-split. The caveat is, however, that those prefetched sites can set cookies in your browser before you visit them, which carries a security risk. Honestly, with broadband speeds so fast nowadays, the time you might save in prefetching resources might not be worth the risk. Automatically report details of possible security incidents to Google: Google’s Safe Browsing, which is already ingrained in Chrome, relies partially on reports of security incidents from users. If Chrome has suspicions about a site or download, it will ask if you want to send a security report to Google. Enabling this setting bypasses Google asking your permission and automatically sends the report. Enable phishing and malware protection: Chrome helps protect your computer by checking the URL of the website you’re visiting against a list of websites known to be disreputable. If it finds a match, not only do you get a warning, but the URL is also sent to Google to confirm whether the site poses a risk or not. Use a web service to help resolve spelling errors: If you know you’re not going to be winning any spelling bees in the near future, then you may want to take advantage of Google’s spellcheck service. This is the same spellchecker Google uses in its search engine to provide you with relevant search results even if you misspell a word or two. Chrome does send what you type to Google, so decide for yourself if you want them to know how bad a speller you are! Automatically send usage statistics and crash reports to Google: If you want to help Google improve Chrome, you can send your usage statistics, as well as reports on when Chrome has crashed or not worked properly. This does send information such as your preferences and what you’ve clicked, but it doesn’t send your personal information. Send a “Do Not Track” request with your browsing traffic: If you don’t want the websites you visit to track what you’re doing, then check this box. However, this doesn’t mean that websites won’t collect your browsing data for their own purposes, such as serving up ads and analyzing traffic statistics. Keep in mind, though, that this is a “request,” and it’s up to the website to decide whether it honors the request (most don’t).

Article / Updated 12-14-2021

A cookie is a tiny little file that's stored on your computer. It contains the address of the website and codes that your browser sends back to the website each time you visit a page there. Cookies don't usually contain personal information or anything dangerous; they're usually innocuous and useful. When you browse the web, the web server needs to know who you are if you want to do things that require logging in or putting items in a virtual shopping cart, or completing any other process that requires that the website remember information about you as you move from page to page. The most commonly used trick that allows websites to keep track of what you're doing is called setting cookies. If you plan to shop on the web or use other web services, cookies make it all possible. When you're using an airline reservation site, for example, the site uses cookies to keep the flights you're reserving separate from the ones that other users are reserving at the same time. Or, you might use your credit card to purchase something on a website and the site uses a cookie to remember the account with your credit card number. Suppose that you provide this information from a computer at work and the next person to visit that site uses the same computer. That person could, possibly, make purchases on your credit card. Oops. Internet users have various feelings about cookies. Some people don't care about them, and some of folks view them as an unconscionable invasion of privacy. You get to decide for yourself. Contrary to rumor, cookie files cannot get other information from your hard disk, give you a bad haircut, or otherwise mess up your life. They collect only information that the browser tells them about. In both Firefox and Internet Explorer, you can control which sites store cookies on your computer. Controlling cookies in Firefox Choose Tools --> Options, click the Privacy category, and look in the Cookie section. If the Accept Cookies from Sites checkbox isn't selected, select it. Set the Keep Until option to They Expire. Or, if you want to decide which sites can store cookies on your computer, set Keep Until to Ask Me Every Time. Firefox doesn't give you the option of accepting first-party cookies (stored by the website, or domain, you visit) and refusing third-party cookies (created by domaines that are not the website, or domain, you're visiting; usually used for online advertising), except by configuring it to ask you each time a site wants to set a cookie. You can specify which sites can and cannot store cookies by clicking the Exceptions button. You can enter the web addresses that you definitely trust with cookies (like the shopping sites that you frequent) or that you don't trust (like advertising sites). You can take a look at the cookies on your computer at any time. Click the Show Cookies button and scroll down the list of sites. If you see some that you don't recognize or that sound suspicious, click the Remove Cookies button. Controlling cookies in Internet Explorer Use the Tools --> Internet Options command to display the Internet Options dialog box. The cookie controls are on the Privacy tab, so click it. By default, Internet Explorer sets your privacy level to Medium, allowing cookies from the server you contacted but not from third-party servers (ones other than the one that provided the page you're viewing). Third-party servers usually deliver advertisements and those annoying pop-up and pop-under ads. You can elect to manage them yourself by clicking the Advanced button to see the Advanced Privacy Settings dialog box and then selecting the Override Automatic Cookie Handling check box. The options are shown in this list: First-party cookies: You can choose to accept, block, or be prompted to choose, although this option gets tiresome very quickly if you encounter a lot of cookies. Some sites can store three or more cookies per page. Third-party cookies: Just say no to (that is, choose Block) third-party cookies. Always allow session cookies: This option lets all session cookies through, a type of cookie used to track a single instance of your visit to a Web site. These cookies are commonly used by shopping sites such as Amazon.com, and are harmless. Controlling cookies in Safari Choose Safari -->Preferences. Click the Privacy toolbar button. Choose your preferred cookies and tracking settings. For Website Tracking, check Prevent Cross-site Tracking if you want to block third-party cookies from being set and third-party websites from storing data on your computer. For Cookies and website data, check Block All Cookies to prevent first-party and third-party cookies. This could cause websites to not work properly; Safari will alert you to this if you choose this option. The most common advice is to enable Prevent Cross-site Tracking and disable Block All Cookies. If you click Manage Website Data, you'll see a list of websites that have stored data on your computer. You can remove some or all of them. When you're finished, close the Preferences window. Finding cookie settings in Chrome Choose Chrome --> Preferences. Choose Privacy and Security, and then Cookies and Other Site Data.