You probably don't realize it -- and it might make you mad if you did -- but more and more companies, especially the big ones, automatically monitor email that is sent to and from their employees. There are people in the IS department who scan each message that you send and receive, looking for everything from hot-button words that may cause lawsuits to potential corporate leaks.
Fortunately, for every digital dagger that's aimed at you, there's a digital cloak to protect you. To prevent prying eyes from seeing your personal email, consider using encryption software. One favorite is the venerable Pretty Good Privacy, or PGP, Freeware (downloadable for free) . It uses a combination of public and private key codes that make your messages readable only to your intended recipients. For the software to work, both you and your emailees need to install it, which is easy because PGP is available online and works on Macs, Unix, and Windows systems. Cutting and pasting text into PGP Freeware adds extra, awkward steps, but if you want only your best friend to read that rant about your boss, use PGP.
Have you ever sent a scathing email and then wished that you hadn't? Soon you may be able to take back such regrettable messages. Disappearing Email ($4 a month per corporate user) , from Disappearing Inc., offers a self-destructing email program that shreds messages in cyberspace. (The consumer version should be out this fall.) First, Disappearing encrypts your email so that only the recipient (who has to retrieve a "key" from Disappearing's Web server in order to unlock the message) can read it. Then, you set a time limit -- minutes, hours, or days -- for that key. When the time's up, the key is deleted, making your message unreadable.
Coordinates: PGP Freeware, http://web.mit.edu/network/pgp.html; Disappearing Inc., www.disappearing.com
Folks who worry about surfing safely usually worry about those unsavory sites that target kids. But the Net has plenty of unpleasant practices that are aimed at adults. Perhaps the most abused software on the Web today is the cookie. Cookies are text files that are deposited on your computer's hard drive. They were originally designed to provide Web sites with a record of your personal preferences and passwords. But cookies have become a nuisance that marketers manipulate to track your movements.
One of the most popular cookie-cutting programs out there is Cookie Crusher 2.5d ($15) , from the Limit Software Inc., which works on Windows machines that use AOL, Microsoft, or Netscape browsers. The program can be set to accept or reject all cookies, to reject cookies that don't expire at the end of a session, or to alert you whenever a cookie pops up. You can also set it to accept cookies from some sites and reject them from others. It will even tell you what an incoming cookie is being used for, so that you can avoid certain sites in the future.
Cookies aren't the only privacy concern when you're surfing the Web. Your email address divulges your ISP, for example, and savvy marketers can put that information to good use (good for them, not necessarily good for you) . But relax: There are ways to stay anonymous online -- without having to join a witness-protection program.
Applications such as Anonymity 4 Proxy ($45 to $150 a year) and Web sites such as the Anonymizer can cover your tracks. But for total security, check out Freedom 1.0 ($50) , from Zero-Knowledge Systems, for Windows only, which works in conjunction with Zero-Knowledge's Web servers. The software lets you use pseudonyms on the Web, and it routes all of your Web activity through encrypted servers, making you virtually untraceable online. Your personal information is even inaccessible to the folks at Zero-Knowledge.
Coordinates: Cookie Crusher 2.5d, the Limit Software Inc., www.thelimitsoft.com; Anonymity 4 Proxy, iNetPrivacy Software Inc., www.inetprivacy.com; Anonymizer, Anonymizer Inc., www.anonymizer.com; Freedom 1.0, Zero-Knowledge Systems, www.zeroknowledge.com
Admit it: Once you begin thinking about how vulnerable you and your computer are to snoops, it's easy to go overboard with security. Those of you who like to err on the side of caution should find comfort in the fact that some hardware devices offer a bit more security than even you may need.
How often do you forget a password to an online account -- or write it down so that you won't? That's not very secure. A better solution is to use something that you'll never forget and that no one can steal: your fingerprint. U.are.U Deluxe ($149) , from Digital Persona, uses biometric technology to scan your fingerprint, which you can then use as your personal log-in code. The system's scanner, which is about the size of a computer mouse, plugs into a PC's USB port and is the best security on the market.
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