Monday, December 14, 2009

Private Browsing

Of the many dangers the Internet poses to our children and families, perhaps none is more greater than anonymity. The Internet can provide an individual with the anonymous freedom to become anyone he or she decides. The harsh reality is that you can never truly know who is on the other end.

Now there is a new twist to anonymity, private browsing. The latest versions of three popular browsers (IE 8, Firefox, and Google Chrome), they all come built-in with private browsing. As Mozilla states on their website @ http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Private+Browsing:

"History is used by the browser to enhance your experience on the Internet. When the browser remembers a website you previously visited or the username and password for your favorite web site, this information is considered your history. However, there may be times when you do not want other users of your computer to see or access such information. For example, if a friend or family member shares your computer, you might prefer for them not to be able to see what websites you've visited or what files you've downloaded. Firefox 3.5 and later provide "Private Browsing," which allows you to browse the Internet without Firefox saving any data about which sites and pages you have visited."

As a concerned parent, we can easily see how this can create an unneeded temptation to our family.

Here is a way to disable private browsing in Mozilla Firefox, I am currently working on IE 8 and Chrome (any help is appreciated).

Copy and paste this directory path in Internet Explorer, treat it like a regular web address.

Windows 7 & Vista

file:///c:/Program%20Files%20%28x86%29/Mozilla%20Firefox/components

Windows XP & 2000

file:///c:/Program%20Files/Mozilla%20Firefox/components

Once you are in the folder scroll down until you see 'nsPrivateBrowsingService', right click and delete!

Private browsing DISABLED!!!