Keeping Private Information Private Online

When most people are online they think they are safe and secure from threats.  Little do they know that making even one mistake can put all of your personal information in jeopardy.  Whenever you go to a website it creates a cookie on your computer, a cookie is a small text-file containing encoded information about what you did on the website. Say I just bought a new book on a 3rd party website.  This website now has all my personal information and could sell it to advertisers which can lead to lots of unwanted spam and junk mail. 

(Referenced  http://computer.howstuffworks.com/cookie5.htm)

If you are worried about spam and junk mail you may want to avoid any opt-in programs called Deep-Packet-Inspection.  This program tracks all your online activities and collects information about you and sells this information to advertisers who then try to sell you products according to the information they gathered.

(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/03/AR2008040304052.html)

Because of online computer threats I always make sure that I have the latest antivirus to help detect possible dangerous cookies and to protect against virus's. Additionally I only buy from trusted online retail sellers and never opt-in to any of those weird programs that my Internet Service Provider may try to trick you into.

Internet Security and You

Many people go about their day thinking they are secure from all the harmful things on the web. Unknown to most people, computer security is never a guarantee. By not taking the right precautions you may become exposed to viruses, worms, Identity Theft and much more.
I use my computer on a daily basis and am at risk, however I take measures to protect myself by making sure I have the proper software installed and by making sure I don't fall for any suspicious links/scams on the internet. I have much to risk ranging from my video game accounts to personal information such as my Angel account and  banking information.
If I ever did become a victim of a scam on the internet, the first step would be to secure yourself so you don't fall even further into trouble.  You can do this by changing your passwords, running your anti-virus program to detect threats on your computer and by cancelling your credit cards if necessary.
Threats on the internet are no joke and should not be taken lightly. They are extremely dangerous and can lead to much trouble and hardships if not prevented/dealt with corrrectlty and in a timely manner.