Common sense
Other measures you can use to protect your privacy are just good common sense.
Be stingy with your personal information; don't automatically fill in a blank on a Web form just because it's there.
If you feel that the proprietor of a Web site has no business knowing who you are or something personal about you, a white lie may be in order. (Ima Nonymous is a frequent visitor to many Web sites that require registration.)
Opt out of tracking (DoubleClick, for example, lets you obtain an OPT_OUT cookie from its Web site) as often as you can, but do not rely on this to keep your movements from being watched.
If you're concerned about spam, or if Web sites insist upon sending you a password only after you've furnished an e-mail address, set up free e-mail accounts and supply those addresses instead of the one provided by your ISP. Although nothing we've mentioned here is foolproof, you will be able to controlââ,¬"at least somewhatââ,¬"who knows how much about you and your loved ones.
There oughta be a law
Many of us would thinkââ,¬"or at least hopeââ,¬"that the government would protect consumers from having such dossiers compiled about them. But unlike European countries, which require citizens to give explicit permission before their data can be shared, bought, or sold, the U.S. has few laws restricting what businesses can do with personal information.
And the laws that do existââ,¬"for example, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)ââ,¬"are notoriously lax. According to the fcra, anyone who does business with you is entitled to call a credit bureau and ask for a credit report that lists your credit cards, loans, home address, telephone number, Social Security Number, and more. (Even companies that have not done business with you can obtain some of this informationââ,¬"hence the unsolicited credit card offers that flood the mailboxes of consumers with good credit records.)
Your personal information is your own business; how much to divulge, and to whom, should be your decision. Until and unless the government swings into action to protect consumers, preserving your privacy is your own responsibility.
excelant article
one addtional point:
one way to prevent the reading of email in outlook and outlook express from triggering the html bugs, etc is to
1) download your email
2) disable your internet connection
3) read all your email
4) enable your internet connection