Privacy Protection Software

There are many products being sold that will help protect your Privacy by deleting internet files etc. These software tools generally fall into two camps

• Computer Privacy Tools- These tools will securely erase files and disks. They are mainly used when decommissioning a computer.
• Internet Privacy-These tools clear the browser cache files and internet related data.

 There are  suites which offer combined Computer and Internet Privacy. These tools clear the browser cache files and internet related data, and they also clear common temporary data areas on the PC, and common programs like windows media, recycle bin etc .

You should be aware of what you need the software for before you start to evaluate the products.

What to Look for in Privacy Software

• Ease of Use- The software should be easy to use without requiring detailed knowledge of security and computer systems. The less technical the user the more important this feature becomes.
• Easy Installation- The software should be easy to install again without requiring detailed knowledge of security and computer systems. The less technical the user the more important this feature becomes.
• Effectiveness- The software should do what it is meant to.. Protect your privacy. You should look for software that at least meets DOD standards.
• Feature Set- The software doesn't need to offer millions of features. What is needs to do is support the features that you need. If software A has more features than software B but B supports, for example, erasing Kazaa history files, and that is what you need, then software B is more useful to you than software A.
• Help and Documentation- The vendor should offer free technical support by email, phone etc . They should also offer good product documentation. Look for a good FAQ page on the website.

Software Tools

To kick-start your research you may want to take a look at these privacy tools:

• CyberScrub® Privacy Suite™ Professional Edition 4.0- Internet Privacy software. The same vendor also offers disk wipe software and password management software, and virus software.
• Privacy Eraser - Internet Privacy software with support for many other applications via plug in.
• White canon software offer a variety of privacy products. Well worth a look are Wipedrive for erasing hard disks and MediaWiper for erasing files on removal media like flash drives. ( ).
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Related Articles and Resources:

• Secure Internet Connections
• Personal Identifiable Information.
• Temporary Internet Files
• Where do Deleted Files Go When They are Deleted?
• Using a Public Computer on The Internet