While it’s a good idea to remove your Web history from time to time, doing so may also remove other features that you may or may not want removed. For example, if you use AutoComplete to store your user names and passwords for various websites, removing the entire history will also remove your stored information. This can cause problems, especially if you have relied on this stored data and have since forgotten your log on credentials.
I use Internet Explorer 7 which allows you to individually delete related Web browsing histories such as temporary Internet files, cookies, history, form data, and stored passwords. Each option has its purpose.
Temporary Internet Files - When you browse the Internet, your computer stores copies of Web pages and images locally on your computer. The purpose of doing so is to speed up your browsing experience. Each time you re-visit a website, the computer already has the required images on the hard drive and doesn’t have to re-download them.
The problem with temporary Internet files is that they take up a great deal of space on your computer and can cause performance problems when too many files are clogging your hard disk. Another problem is that these files serve as Internet tracks, detailing the types of websites you’ve been visiting and the photos you’ve been looking at.
Cookies - Cookies are small files stored on your computer that allow websites to customize your visiting experience. For example, by entering your zip code, you can get custom information about your community such as local headlines or weather reports. However, not all cookies are harmless. Many cookies keep track of your Web browsing activities and then serve up advertisements based on this information. In addition, by looking at your cookies folders, others can see the types of websites you’ve been visiting.
History - The history contains URLs of the websites you’ve visited. While this can be useful to you, it can also be detrimental, especially if you don’t want others to see which websites you’ve been visiting. Deleting the history will also delete the automatic URL entry feature of the address bar.
Form Data - When deleting history items, form data is often deleted at the same time. If you have AutoComplete enabled to automatically save form data such as user names and your address, deleting form data will delete the information you currently have stored.
Passwords - Similar to form data, you can set up AutoComplete to store your passwords so that you don’t have to manually enter them each time you visit a website.
Fortunately, when deleting history items in Internet Explorer 7, you can delete these items individually, picking and choosing which items to keep. You can also delete them all at once if so desired. How often you delete your information is up to you. Doing so isn’t difficult but your privacy is only as good as your last clean up. A better way is to invest in privacy protection software and automate these tasks.
Celeste Stewart | April 28th, 2008
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