If you are shy, or a spy, you might not want
to disclose your creative activity to others who share, or have access to,
your computer.
 | It is not easy to achieve secrecy. A competent user can work out
a great deal about what is going on. Your average PC leaves an awful lot
of trails. Anyone can quickly find out which files have been opened and
which web pages have been inspected. You can hide or destroy these trails
but it’s not worth it. The following suggestions can help you preserve
your modesty or cloak your activities in some degree of secrecy. |
| Set up a separate email account. It is important not just to add another name to an existing domain as
this will share the same password. You also have to avoid the temptation
to let the computer save your password. If you do, snoopers can find the
account and let the computer bypass your security.
But even if you do have a separate account there are likely to be
copies of your mail on servers, so avoid confiding too much to your
email. The recipient could forward your secrets to the rest of the
world with a misplaced, malevolent or mistaken mouse click.
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| Make sure you delete incoming AND sent mail from the hard disk.
You can set up an email folder on a removable disk and transfer the
mail there before deleting.
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| Sending copies If you are sending a 'carbon copy' of an email, the recipient will
be aware that you sent a copy. Many packages have a 'bcc' or 'blind
carbon copy' option which conceals the identity of other
recipients. You might have to click on the To box to see the 'bcc'
option.
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| Log off and log out
Don't forget to logout of your email account or call up the screen
saver even if you leave your computer for just a few minutes. If someone
is feeling really mean, they will nip in and change your password so the
next time you try to log in you will be locked out - possibly forever.
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| Set passwords
Make sure you set up all the passwords offered. You do not have
to use them but they prevent malicious people doing it for you. Think
about it: If you have provided a password, their dastardly plan will be
foiled because they need the original password before they can change it.
Almost every system allows you to switch the password protection off but
you must provide a password.
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| Buy a computer that only you are allowed to use!
Word processing does not require a powerful new computer. A second hand
one should work well. The small print with your software might read like a
pact with the devil. But If you read the software licence you will find
that you can run it on another machine if it is portable.
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| Install some file encryption to stop people reading your work from
disk.
The best software will not even let you copy a protected file to
removable disks. There is some excellent free and shareware, but only use
this if you are serious about secrecy because it does rather take over
your computer.
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| Encryption should stop people reading what you have written,
but once you attach it in plain text to an email, your so-called friends
and fiendish family can spy on your bile or creativity. So be careful
once you start to move it about. |
| Erect a Fire-Wall. These are useful if you are permanently
linked to the web. It monitors incoming traffic and can block people
trying to use your computer over the Internet. Try Zone
Alarm or Sygate both
currently free for personal use. |
| Do not keep a list of your passwords in a nearby draw or on a
handy post-it.
Think up a good password and use it, or a minor variant, for all your
systems. A good password is one that is easy to type. If you have to peck
at the keys, a snooper can spot your code remarkably easily. Try using
adjacent keys so your hands do not have to move and don't forget you can
use numbers.
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| You could go to an Internet café and send your work from there if
they let you use your own disks. Unfortunately not all allow this type of
access. |
| Finally you could leave home and take your computer with you.
But before you take any drastic action, remember that as a writer
you want people to read your work, so get used to the prying eyes and
take it as a compliment. Get used to teasing and criticism. 'Come out' and
tell the family that you are writing. Remember that the plan is to get
published and let thousands read your work. |
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Even when you turn it off and walk away
from the computer, you still leave traces of what you have been doing....
| Deleting confidential documents
If several people use your computer or you sell it remove sensitive
data. Deleting a file and emptying the Recycle Bin does not make it
disappeared. All that goes is the pointer to the file telling the system
that it can re-use the disk space. Erased documents can often be
recovered. Even reformatting once does not guarantee it is clear at
formatting just puts in the sector markers. Only specialized software to
permanently delete sensitive files by repeated rewriting random
information over the old file. |
| Erasing temporary files Some applications such as MS Word
create a temporary copy of the file in use. In some cases, these files
can be accessed after the original document has been deleted. If your
computer ever crashed you will find Windows will try and recover files
so they are worth looking for if you have a disaster. Look for files
with ~ in their title. |
| Web history Windows remember which Web sites you have
visited. This can be useful if you want to spy on the sites your
children have visited but if you are planning a surprise holiday for
your partner they will be able to follow most of the transaction if
they are that way inclined. You can use the Windows "Disk Cleanup"
utility to delete these files. You should also delete the contents
of the directory C:\windows\temp\
if you want to 'cover your track'. |
| Cookies
Cookies are stored in the directory C:\Windows\Cookies. You
can erase the contents of this folder but some cookies help you
when you log onto some sites. |
| Swap files These keep a random collection of files you had
been using on the hard disk. Useful if you want to recover from a crash
but the downside that the information is there if you know where to
look.
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