Big brother is watching me !

[Hafoi Bin Ereafower]

I've noticed since I got my shiny new Samsung (well the screens mat - makes it easier to view) and it's W8 OS that, more and more when I revisit web sites they know what I was looking at last time around and post "suggestions" I might be interested in.

 

Today - contemplating my movements to get back and forth on my "jollies" both Easy Jet and Late Rooms.com when revisited knew dates and destinations of previous enquiries and had pre-populated that info. I didn't book anything when I visited just populated their enquiry boxes to get some relevant info - as you would if you were looking at potential travel options.

 

Now some more modern people will find that sort of thing really helpful - - - me - well I come from a generation that finds it really - REALLY - unsettling and I don't like it

 

It's like someone I don't know looking over my shoulder from the personal security of my living room and saying "there you go guv here's a deal - buy it or what - and by the way - we know where you live".

 

Yes I know - I'm a paranoid "old git" but how do I stop it.

 

Regards, H.B.E.

[Plastic Nev]

Hi, indeed they are a nuisance, especially when you want to look at something entirely different.

The reason this happens is because these websites automatically install tracking cookies onto your computer and it is these tracking cookies that then tell the website what you looked at last time.

You normally can stop some of them by making sure that third party cookies are blocked in your browser settings, however that will not stop them all. You need an antispyware installed and use it to scan your computer regularly.

 

One of the best for this purpose is SuperAntiSpyware, you can download and install it from here:-

 

http://www.superantispyware.com/

 

Click on the red "Free Edition Download" button, the free version is all you need.

 

Nev.

[RandyL]

Just to add.

Deleting your browsing history in IE will remove all cookies. You can even set IE to automatically delete your browsing history everytime you close IE.

[Hafoi Bin Ereafower]

Well here I am over a month later feeling a bit more smug about my security - cos I know what to do now - you see those nice guys on PCHelp told me to delete my cookies annnnd I now do it every time I close my computer down - well nearly always.

 

True it's added another task to banging the keys in Windows 8 which those highly intelligent folks at Microsoft made more complicated (for those of us that use keyboards that is) but hey - this little extra task has made me feel more secure and that "big brother" or his less ethical cousins are not watching me - life is also less irritating.

 

So imagine my surprise when sitting in a boat in a marina I open up my computer and realise I hadn't cleared the history in Google Chrome so went in to clear it.

 

There in front of me were search addresses from last night that I hadn't input at times I hadn't been on the computer and here's the weird thing at the time there was nobody on the boat but me.

 

The computer at the time of these queries was closed down and it's 3 dongle and cable unplugged and put away separately - the queries by the way were all property searches a lot on "Rightmove" and not made by me cos as lovely as it is I don't want to live in Norfolk and I can't even remember the last time I was on Rightmove not even sure I ever have.

 

I have to admit to viewing property porn from time to time - you know the sort of thing - houses you can't afford but could when you win the lottery so is there still one of those insidious cookie things lurking somewhere ?

 

Randy - I haven't deleted cookies from IE as I use Chrome am I mistaken by thinking it didn't matter ?

 

Regards, H.B.E.

[RandyL]

To delete the history in Chrome you have to do it from Chrome.

 

Delete your browsing history

 

Clear your download history

 

Autofill forms

 

You could also use a third party program like CCleaner which I use. If you use CCleaner I suggest just using the default settings and NEVER use the registry part of it.

[Hafoi Bin Ereafower]

Randy,

 

Thanks for your help - already have Chrome set up to delete browsing, download and autofill forms so maybe I haven't been as asiduous as I should have in going to "History" each time to press the delete from beginning of time button.

 

H.B.E.