What should I look for in a good Internet or PC Privacy Software?

  • Ease of Use - Is the product easy to install? Is it easy to setup all of the options? Is it easy to use on a daily basis?
  • Effective at Protecting Your Privacy - Does the product perform a quick removal of the cookies and temporary Internet files, or does it thoroughly remove any information that may threaten or divulge anything deemed to be private?
  • Browser Cleaning- Does the application thoroughly clean your browser, such as Microsoft's IE (Internet Explorer)? A good privacy software application should easily allow you to select what is cleaned, your unwanted cookies, the clearing of your temporary Internet files (cache), the removal of auto-complete fields, the purging of recently visited website histories, and downloaded files.
  • Windows Cleaning -Does the privacy software allow you the option to remove much of the information contained in the Windows Start functions? Does it allow you to delete selected files and directories, both temporary and permanent? Does it allow you to work with Registry entries, if you have the need? Does it remove the index.dat files, which are used by Internet Explorer when rebooting your computer?
  • Cleaning Options -A great privacy software application should allow you to perform immediate cleaning functions with the use of hotkeys. You should also be able to schedule cleaning on a regular basis and should be able to specify during startup or close down functions whether the application should clean your system or not.
  • Deletion Overwrite -Does the privacy software allow you to overwrite deleted files with random characters up to the NSA file erasure recommendation of 7 times? PlugIn Support -Does the application support the environment you are using with respect to browsers and email applications? How many additional plug-in applications are supported, such as chat, instant messaging, and peer-to-peer? With hundreds of popular plug-ins that can track certain activities, the privacy software should have the ability to clean many of these plug-ins from private information.
  • Tech Support -Can you easily contact the privacy software manufacturer if you have a problem? With the correct privacy software application you can feel comfortable knowing that your privacy is protected.