Lots of websites collect personal information – some are just more obvious when doing it.
There are those sites that ask for personal information up front before granting the user access. Often, site visitors are asked for their name and e-mail address before gaining access. The Internet is a public place, so how anonymous are you? When you visit any web page, you leave traces of where you’ve been. Worse, if you share a computer, someone can see what you’ve been up to online in just a few clicks.
But there is a way to maintain your privacy through erasing the digital footprints that remain after you close your browser.
What’s important? When you want to cover your online tracks, consider removing the following: browser histories, cookies, cache files, AutoComplete information, e-mail trash, and log files created by chat programs and your internet connection. You can delete these items yourself, or install a program to do it for you.
Here are the 8 best ways to cover your online tracks:
1. Remove Most Recently Used (MRU) list
Most programs keep an MRU list showing the last used items. The most recently opened documents list is one of the ones you might be interested in, as it shows the last documents you’ve opened. You can remove or clear the list in one of several ways.
In Windows XP, you can right-click on the Start Menu, choose Properties > Start Menu > Customize > Advanced > Clear List. You can then uncheck “List my most recently opened documents” to prevent it from keeping a list in the future. Another method would be to manually remove it from the registry. Any time you tweak the registry, you run the risk of damaging your system so do so at your own risk.
If you want to remove the MRU from the registry, the key is found at HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer and then remove the key for “Recent Docs”. Again, back up your registry before you make any changes, there is always the risk of damage to your system.
2. Your identity
Most websites you visit log your IP address and activities, including the pages you view, the files you download, and the transactions you make. Your IP is also recorded in e-mail headers, discussion boards and mail servers. If you really want to keep your IP information private, you can install software that masks your IP, such as MMIP or Anonymous IP.
3. Cookies
Leaving a trail of crumbs with your cookies? Cookies make it easier for companies to identify visitors to their site and can be programmed to track your movements as you flit from site to site. Cookies allow websites or marketing networks to create a profile of you based on the information you have provided and your browsing patterns, and before you know it, ads are popping up on your screen. To clear them, go to your internet options and clear the cookies periodically.
4. The Cache
Empty the cache, also known as the Temporary Internet Files in Internet Explorer. The folder contains previously visited web pages and images, allowing anyone to click a link and see where you’ve been.
To clear it:
- In Internet Explorer- Choose Tools > Internet Options and click Delete Files.
- For Firefox or Netscape Choose Tools > Options, pick Privacy and click the Clear button next to Cache.
- To avoid doing this every time you surf the internet, you can disable the cache so nothing is documented.
5. Turn off AutoComplete
People can also detect where you’ve been if you have AutoComplete switched on. How do you know if it’s active? Type a few letters of a URL into your web browser and you’ll see previous entries of other searches appear. To turn it off, go to your Internet Options tab and navigate to the option that allows you to turn off AutoComplete.
6. Take out the trash
Keep the trash from getting into your inbox. Your email provider may have anti-spam software to screen spam for you. You can filter the trash by installing a program that filters out spam automatically.
Sometimes, it’s ok to keep secrets! Obviously, the best way to maintain your privacy is to use your own common sense, but pair that with a few good practices and you’re well on your way.
7. Clear Toolbar Data
If you use the Google toolbar, or Yahoo, Alexa, or any of the thousand other browser toolbars out there, make sure you clear the search data there as well. If not, when someone types something into the toolbar’s search area, it brings up your history which shows things you’ve searched on before that begin with the same letter or same word.
Clearing the toolbar will vary from one to another, but in Google’s toolbar for example, you’d click on the search box drop down and click “clear history”.
8. Anonymous Proxies
If you are ultra-concerned with privacy, you can browse the Internet through anonymous proxy servers. An anonymous proxy strips off your identifying information and replaces it with bogus information, so when you visit a website, it doesn’t show your IP address.
While this is again one of those things sounds great in theory, most of the free anonymous proxy servers are painfully slow and will make surfing too frustrating for most. The option is there however, for people who absolutely need to ensure their tracks are covered.





July 5th, 2008 at 1:12 am
I liked that. Stumbled.
July 5th, 2008 at 8:16 am
Nice suggestions. However you didn’t mention running a live CD such as Anonym.OS:
http://www.hackosis.com/index.php/2007/09/22/security-use-anonymos-to-encrypt-and-anonymize-traffic/
July 5th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
u forgot TOR.
July 5th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Tor is an anonymous proxy, which is number eight.
July 9th, 2008 at 1:02 am
^^Good article,congrats and thanks to share it with others.
July 12th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
mentioned in #2 under the Anonymous IP link
July 14th, 2008 at 5:27 am
Is using a proxy a total guarantee of anonimity or are there ways to extract the real ip addresses behind them?
July 25th, 2008 at 2:54 am
Sneakily run a proxy server at your friend’s computer and use it, encrypt and store your firefox folder with truecrypt and put it in a flash drive, use your parents names for buying stuff online, create multiple email addresses for different online activities. Congrats, you are now a ghost.
July 25th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Scam,
I think the logs would have to be read on the proxy. Not 100% sure tho.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:44 am
[...] Read more [...]
July 26th, 2008 at 12:17 am
there is a software called mru cleaner…. i think. that can be a great way to clean thing. there are other free software which can do all these tasks at a click of a button
July 27th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
just use ccleaner (ccleaner.com) for steps 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7
August 13th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Google, Google Toolbar logs IP + all of your searches, so there’s absolutely nothing “anonymous” about using it. if you want to be more anonymous on the Net, stop using toolbars such as this one altogether.
August 18th, 2008 at 10:19 am
That really depends.. it depends on the proxy, the amount of time that has passed, is there a subpoena or search warrant involved, what country the proxy server is in, etc. Short answer is yes, everything can be discovered if someone wants it badly enough and has the time, resources, money and authority to get it.
In reality, usually no.. it’s not worth the time/effort and unless its something major they wouldn’t be able to get a subpoena and/or search warrant (at least inside the U.S.)
August 18th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Another one I just came across is Iron Key https://www.ironkey.com/, in which you could run a portable copy of Firefox.. thus keeping all your history, bookmarks, etc., on the secure, encrypted flash drive and not on the computer your using.
December 19th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Great stuff. I was too sure about this story. But this helped a lot so thanks
December 25th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Great blog. Just stumbled here late on Christmas day – but I’ll definitely be back – - Happy new year to all
January 21st, 2009 at 1:01 am
What about using google chrome’s incognito?
January 21st, 2009 at 1:52 am
Chrome’s incognito mode is a great addition. The browser didn’t really debut until after this article was written, but that’s a definite new addition to the toolbox.
January 26th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Simple:
-2 Kingsmax USB drives, one formated to fat32 and one 512mb drive in natural state.
-8GB truecrypt container and keyfile on the other drive.
-Create bootable backtrack 3 OS on 8GB drive.
-Create an SSH Tunnel to connect to 8GB drive.
-Buy a 6in USB cable extender and viciously tear and fray one side off. Use a knife to open the oposite side and place your key file usb in the cord. place this cord in your recycled parts bin until it needs to be used to unlock your other USB.
-Once booted up make sure you run it without persistent changes.
-Use Chinese Proxies, they fall outside of US jurisdiction.
-if the usb is captured, freely give them the password and keyfile. The nature of backtrack 3 will allow them to do nothing. However, your honesty will tie their hands as well as your explaination that you are simply dabbling with security and have nothing to hide.
January 26th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Oh and also note that truecrypt users are not safe from password acquisition. Keyboards can be remotely read unless the cord is heavily shielded. Cracking is no longer required for password acquisition only a long rubber hose.
March 13th, 2009 at 3:41 am
Wonderful ! very good info. keep it up.
March 16th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
If you use Firefox install TrackMeNot, a small addon that hides your identity from websites and search engines. Good article by the way.