Covering Your Tracks
You can take the following steps to help prevent any one knowing you have looked at this site. *
The information and program examples provided here may not completely hide your tracks. Many browser types have features that display recently visited sites. If you are unsure seek advice from an IT professional or public forum.
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Quick Tips: In some popular browsers such as Firefox, there is an option in the browers for ‘Private’ browsing. Simply click on ‘Tools’ and then select ‘Start Private Browsing’ in the drop-down options. This will wipe the history of any pages accessed during your session.
Sometimes ‘Tools’ might be represented by a symbol that looks like a spanner or cog wheel that may be similar to the examples displayed below:
If you are using a shared PC be sure to switch the feature off when you are finished.
Alternatively, once you have finished viewing the website click on ‘Tools’ and look for ‘Clear Recent History’ in the drop-down options. Select the tickboxes for ‘browsing & download history’ + ‘form & search history’. Then click ‘Clear Now’. This will wipe the history of any pages you looked at during your session.
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General Options
Internet Explorer
Select the ‘Tools’ menu, then select ‘Internet Options’. On General page, under ‘Temporary Internet Files’, click on ‘Delete Files’. Under ‘History’ click on ‘Clear History’.
Firefox
Select the ‘Tools’menu, then select ‘Options’. Click the ‘Privacy’ tab. Either click ‘Clear All’ at the bottom of the panel to cover all your tracks in one go or choose which options to clear one by one. (usually ‘browsing & download history’ + ‘form & search history’).
Netscape
Select the ‘Edit’ menu, then select ‘Preferences’. Click on ‘Navigator’ and choose ‘Clear History’. Click on Advanced then select ‘Cache’. Click on ‘Clear Disk Cache’.
Older versions of Netscape
Select the ‘Options’ menu. Select ‘Network Options’. Select ‘Cache’. Click on ‘Clear Disk Cache’.
AOL
Select the ‘Members’ menu, then select ‘Preferences’. Click on ‘WWW’ icon. Then select ‘Advanced’. Purge Cache.
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Privacy Software
There are many different programs (software) which can ‘cover your tracks’. Most of these have to be bought, some produce free versions with fewer features. Most similar products can be downloaded directly from the manufacturer or bought online from shops such as amazon.co.uk. Most high street software shops will also sell privacy software of some kind.
FREE software such as I.E. Privacy Keeper or SecretMaker is available. For more examples, try using your favourite search engine such as google.co.uk to search for free privacy software.
Examples of commercial track-covering software are: Window Washer, Cyberscrub, or Quick Crypto. Although you have to pay for programs like these they mostly offer good customer support and more features.
* Macintosh users may find that (instead of pulling down the ‘tools’ menu and going to ‘Options’) they must pull down to the ‘Internet Explorer’ or ‘Firefox’ or ‘Netscape’ menu and select the Preferences option.
(Use of any online ‘cleaning service’ or software packages is at your own risk – we recommend them but cannot guarantee they will work or be responsible if they cause a problem on your computer.)
