Internet Browser History - Clearing It

08/20/2008 

Your Internet Browser history is a very important aspect of your daily Internet usage. You may never use it or even know it exists, but within your browser lays a complete list of every website you've visited, every file you've viewed and every picture you've looked at while online. This list will often store that information for as long as 99 days, keeping it ready for anyone to look at, including scammers and hackers.

While a web browser and its history are among the most convenient tools your computer has to offer, they are also the most naturally at-risk for being infiltrated. Any number of things can be extracted from you computer history, including personal data, your credit card numbers, or access to your computer's files.

Because of the situations which have evolved as a result of these security risks, there are plenty of ways in which users can make sure their computers and identity remain safe while they are online. Built into the basic feature sets of your web browser are any number of features and options for deleting the history and cached files that it stores.

It is possible to not only have your web browser automatically delete files every few hours, but to clear all tracks of your internet activity for good. Within Internet Explorer, options are available to set the amount of days these temporary files will be kept. Users can alternately enter and delete them manually through the general options tab.

Firefox has an option built into the Tools menu that allows users to clear their temporary files with one click. Alternately, they can press CTRL + SHIFT +DEL and do the same thing. This is the easiest and most effective means to remain safe while online for free.

However, there are additional options for ensuring that the Internet history remains cleared. Third party software will clean up files based on predefined settings given by the user. Cached files, history and cookies can actually be deleted even as they are put on your computer.

History Alternatives

For those that use the history settings to access pages and files they recently viewed, bookmarking is a good alternative. By bookmarking sites and pages that you want to view again, you can always return to them without risking the information that your history broadcasts to anyone with access to it.

Additionally, password protected bookmark options such as Del.icio.us make it possible to keep a complete list of bookmarks that no one else can access. This also allows you to keep track of your favorite sites from home, work, and any public computer you might use.

The Right Web Browser

While most computer users have one of the three major web browsers – Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari – there are other options available. However, to be sure that security and privacy are always maintained, the right web browser should be selected at all times. This means that users should download a browser that offers constant updates and privacy features. The browser should be able to clear all cache, history, cookies, and autocomplete data, both automatically and manually. With the right program and information at hand, you can save yourself a vast amount of worry regarding your Internet privacy.

Download Privacy Controls now and protect your PC from snoops!