Windows XP Privacy (or its lack thereof)
The more you know about Windows XP, the more Windows knows about you. In fact, Microsoft's latest operating system probably knows a lot more things about you than you suspect. Windows XP keeps track of the Web sites you visit, the songs and videos you play in Media Player, the user names and passwords you type in online, the items you type into forms, the last documents you've opened, the computer files and terms that you've searched for, and much more.Windows XP even allows other people to snoop on you by placing "cookies" -- little files that track your online sessions -- onto your hard drive.
Many software companies sell programs to "clean up" what Windows XP knows about you. However, Windows XP won't track your business if you know how to tell it to stop.
This section describes how to stop Windows XP from invading your privacy. You'll find this information:
- Managing "cookies" in Internet Explorer
- Disabling AutoComplete to stop Windows from displaying previously typed words in drop-down lists
- Erasing your Recently Opened Files list
- Deleting Media Player's list of recently played files
- Deleting Internet Explorer's extensive "History" of your visited Web sites
- Deleting items listed in Media Player's Media Library
- Finally, remember to protect the privacy of others by using Blind Carbon Copy when mailing to several people.