Privacy and security in the age of the internet

The proverbial hundredth window represents the most vulnerable link in a system. It derives from an allegory relating castle windows to potential security holes. If even one out of a hundred windows is left open, security becomes compromised. Since the Internet maximizes information sharing (admittedly a largely beneficial enterprise) would-be big-time marketers and shady characters can--without trying all that hard--spy on your Web clicking habits, read your e-mail, and even see files on your hard disk drive. This means you may receive spam from marketers who think they know what kind of stuff you like to buy--e-mail that can be helpful to some and aggravating to others. Sharing your name and other identifying personal information can cause you more serious problems: someone else could use that information to commit fraud or other crimes--and you would be responsible.

Now, it's unlikely you'd undergo the sort of nightmare invasion of your privacy that occurred in the movie Enemy of the State, but the exchange of personal information about Internet users is undeniably a multibillion-dollar business. It's the increasingly fervent desire of marketing executives to know intimate details about you so they can help you shop. Maybe this is no skin off your nose, but take this example: you have a parent or grandparent with a serious illness and so you spend time researching the illness on the Web; consequently, your name is marked as a potential high risk and passed on to insurers. Numerous variations on this scenario are possible, and this book can get you started on the road to protecting yourself from potential problems.

Experts on this topic, authors Jennings and Fena have compiled a series of easy steps to help you minimize your visibility in cyberspace. Their approach isn't terribly sophisticated--they suggest you clear out your Web-browser cookies and use fake information when registering on Web sites, for example--but it's effective. They also offer several handy techniques that erase your Web footprints, such as leaving your America Online member profile blank and using blocking software. The topic of Internet security can sometimes get relegated to the land of the paranoid. But in this case, the advice is sensible and the solutions are practical. --Teri Kieffer

Privacy is critical, imagine having your web trail pulled up 20 years from now when you are running for a political office. More importantly, its tough to understand the lines between your machine's privacy and tracking (since multiple people could use your machine - where are your kids going today?).

I'd recommend the book highly for both novice readers and power web users.

It's important to follow the advice of this book. More and more online services and software coming out each day that compromise our online privacy (the Wall Street Journal seems to print at least one story on this subject each Monday). This is an important topic --not just the domain of the paranoid. Bravo to Jennings and Fena for clearly and artfully addressing what will no doubt become one of the most important issues of 2000.