Do not reveal personal information inadvertently.
You may be “shedding” personal details, including e-mail addresses
and other contact information, without even knowing it unless you
properly configure your Web browser. In your browser’s “Setup”,
“Options” or “Preferences” menus, you may wish to use a pseudonym instead of your real name, and
not enter an e-mail address, nor provide other personally identifiable
information that you don’t wish to share. When visiting a site you
trust you can choose to give them your info, in forms on their site;
there is no need for your browser to potentially make this information
available to all comers. Also be on the lookout for system-wide
“Internet defaults” programs on your computer (some examples include
Window’s Internet Control Panel, and MacOS’s Configuration Manager,
and the third-party Mac utility named Internet Config). While they are useful
for various things, like keeping multiple Web browers and other
Internet tools consistent in how the treat downloaded files and such,
they should probably also be anonymized just like your browser itself,
if they contain any fields for personal information. Households with
children may have an additional “security problem” – have you set
clear rules for your kids, so that they know not to reveal personal
information unless you OK it on a site-by-site basis?