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WEB-BROWSING PRIVACY TIPS

How to hide from Google and implement private browsing in the four major web browsers - Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Google Chrome

With Google's new privacy policies having come into force from March 1 this year to coincide with the company's merging of all of its services and products under the governance of a single set of terms and conditions and the merging of the information it holds in them derived from their users, it has never been more urgent to protect your privacy from being invaded. Web browsers are dealt with here, but don't forget that a smartphone, especially one running the Google Android operating system that requires logging on to a Google account in order to make use of the services and apps provided by Google, logs everything you do on that phone. Here is what it says in Google's own privacy policies:

"When you use our services or view content provided by Google, we may automatically collect and store certain information in server logs. This may include: details of how you used our service, such as your search queries. - Telephony log information like your phone number, calling-party number, forwarding numbers, time and date of calls, duration of calls, SMS routing information and types of calls. - Internet protocol address. - Device event information such as crashes, system activity, hardware settings, browser type, browser language, the date and time of your request and referral URL. - Cookies that may uniquely identify your browser or your Google Account."

Read these eye-opening articles:

What If Someone Could See Everything You've Ever Googled? -

http://www.prisonplanet.com/...

Google and Facebook accused of bypassing iPhone's privacy settings to spy on owners to build advertising profiles -

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2102499/...

Visit the PC Security section of this website for an in-depth exploration of online and offline security.

If you don't want Google to compile a specific user database profile on you that can be used to target customised adverts at you on the web and who knows what else, you have to know how to block it from doing so and prevent it from tracking you on the web. Here is a good article on how to go about doing that:

Hide From Google - http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Hide_From_Google

If you want to use a good search engine that doesn't ply you with ads on top and to the right of and, in Google's case, within the the search results (Google shopping results) try using DuckDuckGo. Its settings link appears in the bottom right corner of the browser. Set it for the type of browsing you are doing.

All of the main web browsers have options that enable private browsing, which are not widely advertised for the obvious reason that companies like Google don't want you to make use of them. How reliable they are is questionable, so I only use Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 (IE9), which provides InPrivate Browsing and a separate setting called Tracking Protection, and the Apple Safari browser, which has a Private Browsing setting, enabled by clicking on the gear icon in the top right-hand corner. Note that in IE, an InPrivate sign must appear in the left-hand corner of the address box if private browsing is active. In Safari, a sign saying PRIVATE must appear in the right-hand corner of the address box. IE10 will come out with Windows 8 later this year and it will be even more secure. When Microsoft provides a setting it usually works. In any case, all of the major browsers apart from IE are affiliated to Google, so I avoid using them. Here are links to the information on how to enable private browsing in IE8 & IE9, Firefox and Google Chrome browsers:

IE9 InPrivate Browsing - IE9 cannot be used in Windows XP, which is limited to IE8, only in Windows Vista and Windows 7. When you enable InPrivate Browsing, a new window is opened displaying the InPrivate sign at the beginning of the address bar. You have to browse from within that window. Close the window you used to enable it, which is not kept private. When the InPrivate window is closed private browsing is closed, so you have to enable it every time you want to use it. -

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/internet-explorer/products/ie-9/features/in-private

Internet Explorer 9 - Tracking protection -

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/internet-explorer/products/ie-9/features/tracking-protection

IE8 InPrivate Browsing -

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-vista/What-is-InPrivate-Browsing

Firefox Private Browsing - http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/...

Google Chrome - Incognito mode [But can it be trusted? Read on...] -

http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/more/privacy.html

... But can you trust Incognito mode given that Google has been caught using an illegitimate software trick to bypass Apple's iPhone and Internet Explorer's default security settings in order to have their users' information sent to it? Google is also advertising its Chrome browser extensively across its AdSense web advertising system and website owners cannot block Google ads as they can other ads up to a limit of only 50 advertisers out of many thousands. Moreover, apparently Google is able to uniquely identify each installation of Chrome. If you value your privacy, best not to have installed Chrome at all, because, like any other spyware, it could be compromising your privacy without even being visibly in use. If it is installed, it is advisable to uninstall it, which can be done via Start => All Programs => Google Chrome => Uninstall Google Chrome or via the Control Panel - Add or Remove Programs for Windows XP and Programs & Features for Vista and Windows 7. It is important to select the "Also delete browser data" checkbox, because it removes your user profile information, which include browser preferences, bookmarks and web-browsing history. Google Chrome is very difficult to uninstall completely because not only is the web browser installed, many browser "add-ons" are also installed, which will remain in place after the browser itself is uninstalled, so remove any programs listed in Add or Remove Programs (XP) or Programs & Features (Vista/Win7) that you don't use. If you have uninstall software, use that instead, because it is usually very good at removing every trace of an installation.

Every time the Adobe Flash Player updates it sets any customised settings to the non-privacy settings

The settings' applet for the Adobe Flash Player is called Flash Player and is in the Windows Control Panel for all versions of Windows from Windows XP on. The player is updated frequently and you should be aware of the fact that every time it is updated any customised privacy settings are restored to the non-private settings. All blockings, such as allowing sites to make use of any camera and microphone the computer has, are unblocked, etc. For this reason, since I don't use the webcam built into my laptop, I have placed some black insulation tape over the camera in its lid. This policy looks like a sneaky way of allowing cookies, information about the computer to be made available, camera access, etc., when the user is under the impression that such breaches of privacy have been blocked. I enable the setting that requires the program to notify me when an update is available. I also block peer-assisted networking, which allows the player to make use of your broadband bandwidth to ease its congestion. In other words, if it is enabled, the player can use your broadband connection to send the same video to other computers playing it and the players on other computers can lend you some of their users' connections' bandwidth to make the video play better. If you suffer from poor video playing or buffering try enabling this setting; otherwise it is best to leave it disabled. I would not trust anything that allows your computer to be used by any web software.

Adobe Flash Player: How to get rid of privacy-invasive Flash cookies

Flash cookies are accessible files created by the Adobe Flash Player (that most computers use) on websites you visit that are stored on your computer. Unlike standard cookies that are under the control of your browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.), they can contain up to 100KB of data compared to the 4KB of a standard cookie and are out of the control of the browser, so they can track your web browsing and compromise your computer's security unless you use measures to get rid of them. The following article tells you about these cookies and how to get rid of them.

Eliminate Flash-spawned 'zombie' cookies -

http://www.windowssecrets.com/2010/08/05/...

LATEST COMPUTER-RELATED TIPS AND NEWS STORIES

Intel's third-generation Core i5 and Core i7 Ivy Bridge processors for desktop and laptop PCs are available

May 1, 2012. - Intel's delayed Ivy Bridge processors - the third generation of its Core i5 and Core i7 quad-core ranges (four identical processors in one unit) - are now available for desktop and laptop PCs. This means that purchasers who want the latest models have to take care that they aren't buying one of the first two generations that use the same names, minus Core i3, available for both of them but dropped for the Ivy Bridge ranges. The second wave of dual-core (two processors in one unit) third generation processors are expected to be released later this year, which will include Intel Core i3 and i5 models.

All of the newly released models are quad-core and have an onboard graphics chip. The HD Graphics 4000 chip, available on the Core i7 models and on the highest-end Core i5 model, is capable of playing the demanding Crysis game on its own, but not as well as AMD's high-end A-Series Fusion APU quad-core processors, which have a superior AMD Radeon graphics chip that can be used in tandem with an AMD graphics card in CrossFire mode to increase performance significantly, which Intel's processors cannot do. The socket type remains the same - Socket LGA1155 - but a new range of motherboard chipsets has been created. The new ranges for the desktop PC - Core i5 and Core i7 - will run on motherboards using most of the previous generation Sandy Bridge chipsets, but some will require the replacement of the chipset by the motherboard manufacturer; a mere BIOS update does not suffice. Most users won't bother to have that done due to the expense involved. Intel recommends that confirmation that a particular Socket LGA1155 motherboard is capable of running the new processors - or that the purchaser buys a motherboard with a 7-Series chipset. It may also be possible to run an Ivy Bridge processor on a motherboard designed for a Sandy Bridge processor, but that option depends on the motherboard manufacturer.

The fabrication process of the new processors has been reduced to 22nm from the 32nm of the previous generation Sandy Bridge models. Benchmark testing shows varying results for the different types of processing, but the increase in performance compared with the previous-generation chips never gets higher than 15%, which isn't noticeable.

The Ivy Bridge desktop and laptop CPUs specifications and costs -

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/gallery/reviews/374158/intel-ivy-bridge/177439

Free online backup storage space

April 23, 2012. - Update: Note that Microsoft's SkyDrive online backup service, informed of in this item, is changing from the free storage of 25GB to 7GB, probably due to the high demand, but you can keep the 25GB in your existing Windows Live account if you follow the click-through provided in your SkyDrive account, which will only be available for a limited period.

Google has just launched a free online backup service called GDrive that provides 5GB of free storage, but you have to ask yourself the question: "Is Google using this as a way to access all of the data on your computer?" - Because all of Google's other 'free' products and services do just that in order to add to the personal profile that it is building up on everyone who has a Google account, which is used to deliver personalised ads to that user within that account and across the web. Moreover, it is a startup program that places its icon in the bottom right Notification Area of the screen, which means that it can monitor your file use - and who knows what else?

Microsoft's SkyDrive currently provides a huge 25GB of free online storage. If you have a Windows Live ID, which is provided when you create a Hotmail account, Xbox 360 user account, etc. For example, when you sign in to any Microsoft service using your Windows Live ID, such as Hotmail, it will have a SkyDrive tab that gives you access to it. It allows free use of the online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, which can also be accessed by using a Windows-based smartphone. The amount of free storage space is provided there (currently 25GB). How much space you have left is provided. If you make use of the Public folder any files you enter in it are shared with everyone, so don't put anything in there that you want kept private. To add files just select the folder that you ant to use and click on Add files. You can add extra folders by using New folder.

The free AVG LiveKive online backup service provided 5GB of free storage. For unlimited storage you pay an $80 one-off charge. The system operates in a similar way to ZoneAlarm Backup dealt with below. You download and install its software and then configure what you want to back up. Both services provide scheduled backups. Both of these companies are trusted security-software developers.

ZoneAlarm IDrive provides 5GB of free online storage space. Extra space has to be paid for. The data is encrypted so that it is useless to anyone who doesn't know your encryption key. You can choose the default encryption key during setup or your own encryption key (recommended). The key can be anything you like made up of letters and numbers. If you use a wireless router to access the web, using its encryption key - what you have to enter to log on with a wireless connection to a wireless network for the first time - is a good idea. I find the easy-of-use of its interface preferable to AVG's LiveKive.

The first backup takes quite a long time, how long depending on how much of the 2GB space your selection of files uses, but the subsequent backups - scheduled or executed manually at any time - only back up the files that have changed or new files that have been added, which is called an incremental backup.

Dedicated audio streamers/audio-streaming devices

April 20, 2012. - It is possible to buy a dedicated audio streamer that forms the centre of your world of music, whether just in your living room or to anywhere else in the house you fit speakers. Note that most audio streamers have integrated speakers. Speakers specify their maximum rated power in watts RMS, with the higher number usually indicating better-quality speakers, but that is not always the case, because some manufacturers state a high number than is supported, which results in sound distortion at higher volumes.

Since a data stream of sound does not require much wireless bandwidth, Wi-Fi is ideal to stream audio. Note that some Apple iPod docks that you plug the device in to to use mains electricity and charge use AirPlay, which is the wireless standard used by Apple's iOS operating system. Non-Apple devices shouldn't be able to use AirPlay, but several Android applications designed to be used with Google's Android operating system can spoof (impersonate) AirPlay, allowing an Android-based smartphone or tablet PC stream music. Note that most AirPlay-compatible docks and streamers are designed for Apple products, so only a device using Apple's iOS operating system can be charged when using one.

The sound-file support provided by most sound streamers is usually good with support provided for the most common file formats, such as MP3, Wav, AAC and WMA, but some audio streamers might not support the FLAC and Ogg formats. If not, you can convert any files using unsupported formats into supported formats.

Most audio streamers can use Wi-Fi and can therefore be used within range of your wireless network., so, if your garden is out of range you won't be able to stream audio there unless you have a streamer that uses its own proprietary wireless standard that is kept separate from other wireless devices. Most audio streamers support wired Ethernet network connections. The ZonePlayer provided by audio steamers made by Sonos (sonos.com) is a highly-reliable wireless mesh network that supports multiple Sonos devices, with each device being a wireless repeater that extends the range of the network, thereby providing excellent coverage. Only one piece of Sonos equipment is required in order to be able to connect to a shared broadband connection.

The more expensive audio streamers allow you to play the same music to all the rooms set up to receive streamed music, or completely different music in each room. Some streamers provide storage for files, which allows them to stream sound independently of a PC, but most of them are designed to make use of media servers, such as a network-attached storage device or a PC that can act as a server. Windows Media Player 11 and 12 (not earlier versions) can act as UPnP servers that can be used to make a laptop or desktop PC serve music files across a network. WMP doesn't support the Ogg file format, so, if you don't want to convert Ogg files into other formats, use a search engine to find a codec pack that adds Ogg support to WMP. How to set up a server in a computer is dealt with in the next item on this page.

Note that many audio streamers are able to access Internet radio stations and paid-for music services, such as Last FM, Napster and Spotify. It is advisable to examine the range of services provided before you sign up for one or more of the music services.

Sound streamers that received good reviews up to April 2012 are the Logitech Squeezebox Touch (£200), the Roberts Stream 205 (£127), the Sonos Sonos (£259) and the Sonos Connect.Amp (£399). Sonos is currently the best-rated manufacturer of audio streaming devices.

Windows 8 Customer Preview is now available

March 1, 2012. - Microsoft has released its Windows 8 Customer Preview test edition of the successor to Windows 7, the finalised release of which is expected to be made available in the autumn of this year. It can be installed on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 systems.

To install it, visit microsoft.com and download either the 32-bit or 64-bit version in the form of an ISO file. The 32-bit version is a 2.6GB file with an .iso extension. The 64-bit version requires 64-bit device drivers, so you have to use the 32-bit version if you are using a 32-bit version of Windows XP/Vista/Win7. Use the web-search query bit version [xp, vista or windows 7] to find out from articles on microsoft.com which bit version your computer is using. The ISO file is an image file that has to be burned to a DVD. In Windows 7, you just have to right-click with the mouse on the ISO file and then click Burn disc image in the menu that comes up. Windows XP and Windows Vista requires the use if third-party burning software to burn ISO files.

You can then use the DVD to boot the system and install the preview to its own partition or to a separate hard drive or you can run it from within Windows Vista or Windows 7, which is not advisable because it replaces the existing version of Windows and cannot be uninstalled.

I failed to install it on my desktop and laptop computers, both dual-boot systems running Windows XP and Windows 7, by booting from the DVD and installing from within Windows 7. It discovered an unidentified problem and restored Windows 7. There is potential here to get yourself into all kinds of trouble, especially with dual-boot systems, so always make a system backup before you begin and don't use a computer that you use for important work. If there is enough storage space available, Windows 7 makes a system backup and creates a system image by default when its Backup and Restore feature in the Control Panel is used. It is best to use an external hard disk drives for backups and system images.

Windows 8 Customer Preview FAQ -

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-8/faq