Safeguarding from Privacy Violations caused by Cookies, and tracking of Browsing History
The Internet is used for variety of reasons for almost three decades or so,
the Privacy intrusions by means of employing cookies, and tracking peoples' Browsing History have been kept carrying out overwhelmingly by many businesses for their advantage. Over the years, this has been the most debatable issue on legal, social, and political platforms.
Keeping the controversy aside, the most important concern in the peoples' mind likely to be that by what all ways and means he/she can prevent the intrusions into their privacy while using the Internet services.
Some of the easiest ways, in turn, ought to be habits need to be inculcated by people are as below narrated (for Windows):
I] Clearing of Web Browser Cache Memory:
As soon you complete any particular Internet browsing session using any web browser like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, you should clear the browser cache memory without fail by going to the 'Settings' menu of your web browser then select the
'Privacy and security' menu, now among the sub-menus displayed on your computer monitor's screen, click on the 'Clear browsing data' menu, this leads to displaying of a window indicating clear browsing data with two options: Basic and Advanced. Select any one of them according to your preference. Under any one of each select any one Time range: Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, All time. Check any or all of the checkboxes: Browsing history, Download history, Cookies and other site data, Cached images and files, Passwords and other sign-in data, Autofill form data, Site settings, Hosted app data according to your preference. At the bottom right side of this window, you can see two buttons, click the button 'Clear data'. The web browser cache memory will get cleared.
All the above stated steps for clearing web browser cache memory can be achieved with a keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + Delete
II] Deletion of Cookies:
At the instance you start visiting the different websites on the Internet, the cookies are the text files stored rather pushed into 'Temp Folder' on your computer's hard drive knowingly/unknowingly by these websites. These text files store your personal details like your name, your login details of username, password, the data you entered while submitting online forms on different websites. This personal data stored in the cookies will be used by the respective websites to carry out specific marketing and advertising campaigns targeting individuals on the basis of individuals' Internet browsing behaviors which were being recorded into cookies. On the contrary, this is a gross violation of the individual privacy of the people. In case you carry out any financial transactions online like Internet Banking, purchasing of goods and services using E-commerce sites like Amazon, Flipkart, eBay, Tata Cliq, Reliance Digital, Big Bazar, any other E-commerce app. Your confidential financial data like Internet banking login username and password, your online purchase transaction(s) details like transaction bills payment details get recorded in respective cookies by corresponding websites. If criminals get access to these cookies, they can spy upon your online financial transactions, subsequently, dupe you and siphon your hard-earned money. This had been reported happening over a long period of time resulting in huge financial losses to individuals and businesses. The most important question arises in the peoples' mind that how to protect confidential personal and financial data from spying and submissive criminals.
The following procedure (for Windows) individuals ought to carry out after the end of each and every browsing session in general and browsing session involving financial transactions in particular.
To delete cookies stored in the temp folder on your computer's hard drive follow the procedure given here: click on the Windows Start button, type 'Run', click on the Run command from a menu appearing on your computer screen or use a Keyboard shortcut as Windows Key + R, now, the 'Run' Window dialog box will open on your computer screen. You can see one drop-down text button with an 'open' title on this Window dialog box. Enter the command '%temp%' in this drop-down text button, then click on the Ok button. Now, Windows Explorer with all the contents of the Temp folder viz the subfolders and cookies appear on the monitor screen. Use the Keyboard shortcut of Ctrl + A to select all subfolders and cookies stored in the Temp folder. Right-click using the mouse or a menu key, click on the delete command from a menu. All the subfolders and cookies stored in the Temp folder will get deleted and transferred to the Recycle Bin Folder. To permanently delete these subfolders and cookies from Recycle Bin, Right-click on Recycle Bin icon on your computer's Desktop. Click on the Empty Recycle Bin command from a menu. All the subfolders and cookies stored in the Temp folder of your computer's hard drive will get deleted permanently.
Alternately, after the Temp folder's contents get displayed on your computer screen and selecting all of them, you can use the Keyboard shortcut of Shift + Delete so as to permanently delete all the subfolders and cookies stored in the Temp folder.
