Computers keep a record of the places you visit on the internet and the emails you send. There is no sure way to delete all this information.

As well, the company that provides your internet connection and your email service will have a record of your online activities.

If you think someone is watching what you do when you are NOT using a computer, such as when you go out or who you call on the phone, then they may also watching what you do on the computer.

Use a Safer Computer

If you are concerned about this and you must use a computer, it is best to use a computer that this person won’t have access to — such as a friend’s computer or a computer at work.

Or you could use a computer that has many other users. This way your activities will be mixed up with other people’s online activities. You could use a computer at a library or a community centre.

Use Caution When Writing on a Computer

You should also be very cautious if you use email, Facebook, Twitter and other online communication. Anything you write on a computer will create a lasting record on the computer and on the internet and you won’t be able to control who reads that record.

Clearing Your Browser History

You can hide some of your internet activities by making changes to your computer’s browser. The “browser” is the computer program that lets you see websites. Some browsers are Internet Explorer (IE), Firefox,  and Chrome. The name of the browser will be in the upper left hand corner of the screen.

The following are general guidelines for removing information from the browser history. Browsers vary depening on the type and version you are using. You can also search for instructions on the internet for “clearing browser history”.

Internet Explorer:

• Go to “Tools” at the top of screen and select “Delete Browsing History”.
• You will need to check the various boxes to ensure that your activities are deleted.
• This will also delete all the activities of anyone who has used the computer.

Firefox:

• You can delete your most recent activities by going to “Tools” and selecting “Clear recent history.”
• You can delete past activities by clicking on “History” at the top of the screen. You will see a list of the websites you have visited (this may be listed by day or month). Click on the website you want to remove from your history and hit on the “delete” button on your keyboard.

Chrome:

• Click on “History” at the top of the screen and select “Show Full History”.
• Click on “Edit items…” on the right side of the screen.
• You can now check the boxes next to the websites you wish to remove and click on “Remove selected items”, or you can select “Clear all browsing data…” to remove all information about the web pages that have been visited.