How to Protect Your Privacy When Using a Public Computer
There's no other major item most of us own that is as confusing, unpredictable and unreliable as our personal computers. Everybody has questions about them, and we aim to help.
Here are a few questions about computers I've received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about privacy, Wi-Fi and antivirus software.
If you have a question, send it to me at
mossberg@wsj.com, and I may select it to be answered here in Mossberg's Mailbox.
Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can't routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.
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Q: Is there anything I can do to protect my privacy once I am finished using a public computer? Should I delete my cookies or temporary Internet files?
A: If you can do so, I'd recommend it. And, I'd also clear out the browser's history list and the recently used documents folder. But, even if you take these steps, a really determined techie could still detect at least some of your traces.
It also depends on what you mean by "public computer." If you mean a relatively accessible machine in a place like a college computer lab, you can probably use these methods. But, some public computers, like the fee-based models in airports, are set up so you can't get into the file system and delete anything.
Q: What is a HomePlug type of home network? Is this the same as Wi-Fi?
A: No. HomePlug is the name of a group of companies that make a type of wired home network called Powerline. In a Powerline network, your Internet connection is routed around your home over the normal electrical wiring, rather than via special network cables or wireless transmission.
To make this work, you have to buy special Powerline network adapters, or "bridges." These gadgets plug into an electrical outlet in the room where your cable modem or DSL adapter resides, and into outlets in any other rooms where you want to connect to the Internet.
Q: When an Internet Service Provider offers antivirus protection as part of its regular service, should one still install Symantec or some other antivirus software on one's PC?
A: I would never run a Windows PC without a good, constantly updated antivirus program, period. Unless your ISP is supplying software like this that resides on your PC, rather than on its servers, I urge you to hasten to a store or a Web site and buy an antivirus program immediately. Install it right away, and make certain you keep it up to date. Do not procrastinate on this. There is an international group of vandals and criminals whose sole purpose in life, every day, is to unleash viruses and other malicious programs onto your PC.
The only exception might be if you own a Macintosh. Windows viruses can't run on the Mac, and I know of no viruses that do run on the Mac's OS X operating system and that have spread to the public. I still advise running an antivirus program on a Mac, just in case. But it's a much less urgent matter.
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Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can't routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.
保护你的个人隐私
问：我在使用公共电脑后，有没有什么办法可以保护我的隐私？我应该删除cookies或零时互联网文件(temporary Internet files)吗？
答：如果可以，我建议你这么做。而且我还会清除浏览器历史纪录以及最近打开的文件列表。但是，即使你采取这些步骤，一个真正的电脑高手仍然可以发现你在这个电脑上的至少一部分踪迹。
这还要取决于你所指的“公共电脑”的定义。如果你说的是在类似于大学图书馆的地方一台比较容易就可以接近的电脑，你可以使用上述方法。但在一些公共电脑上，比如机场里面的收费电脑，你不能进入文件系统并进行任何删除。
问：我可能不得不维修我的个人电脑。有什么方式可以保存我的Money 2003文件以及我的Outlook联络人名单不被修理人员看到？
答：你可以使用各种工具和安全程序，对包含这些文件的文件夹进行锁定、隐藏和加密。比如使用Folder Lock，你可以用密码保护文件夹和文件，这样其他人就打不开、甚至看不到它们。这个软件的前15次使用都是免费的，你可以到
www.newsoftwares.net/folderlock下载。当然还有其他一些这类软件。
或者，你可以将重要文件备份到另外一张盘上，然后用文件清除软件将这些文件从你的硬盘上删除，这些清除软件将使恢复这些数据变得困难或不可能，Webroot的Window Washer就是这样的一种软件。然后，当你拿回你的电脑时候，你可将这些文件存储回去。
问：你如何防止邻居或其他外来人使用你的Wi-Fi无线网络？有没有什么安全系统防止他人使用这一网络。
答：所有的Wi-Fi网络都可以进行设置成要求输入密码才能使用。 你通常只需要选中安装软件中的“安全”或“WEP“或“WPA“选项，然后按照下面要求的步骤操作就可以了。在采取上述措施之后，你的邻居也许能够检测到你的网络，但是他/她如果没有密码将不能使用这一网络。
当然，这还意味著你将不得不为使用这个密码对你的电脑进行特定设置。尽管这既快又简单，但是许多人认为这很麻烦而不愿意开启网络安全功能。我建议你还是设一下为好。
