How to keep an abuser from tracing your internet use:
If an abuser can access your computer, they can find out what Web sites you have visited, what documents you have edited, what e-mail you have sent, etc. Follow the steps below to remove these traces. Even better, use a friend's computer, a computer at work, or one at the library instead of your home computer. Remember: it is very difficult to completely erase a computer's history and a savvy abuser may still be able to recover information.

Many new programs allow you to access information without storing it on the computer. These are very convenient if you are using someone else's computer, and can make using your home computer safer. Here are some examples:

• E-mail
  E-mail programs like Outlook Express, Netscape Mail and Eudora can be accessed by an abuser if they have physical access to your computer. They will be able to read your incoming and outgoing mail.

Web-based e-mail services allow you to send and receive e-mail without storing information on your home computer. Many Web sites offer web-based e-mail for free. You can access your e-mail from any computer that has Internet access. Some reliable web-based e-mail services are Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, and Excite Mail.

• File Storage
  If you need access to files (Word documents, Excel documents, etc.) you can them on the internet and use them from any computer through companise such as iBackup and Hyperoffice.

How To Remove Traces From Your Computer

Web Browser History
Web browsers keep a history of the each web page you visited. Also, Windows and Macintosh systems keep a history of the web pages and documents you have recently accessed. Perform the following steps to get rid of all history files:

A. Delete your document history as follows:

Windows

1. Click on the Start menu, then select Settings. Click on the Taskbar and Start Menu option. This will bring up the Taskbar Properties dialog.
2. Click the Start Menu tab at the top of the box. Then, click on the Customize button.
3. In the new window, click on the Clear button that appears next to the phrase, "To remove records of recently viewed documents..."

B. Delete your web browser's history as follows:

Microsoft Internet Explorer

1. Click on the Tools menu, then click on Internet Options. A dialog box will come up.
2. Click the Delete Files button in the Temporary Internet files area. Click OK when the confirmation box comes up.
3. Click the Clear History button.

Netscape Navigator

1. Click on the Edit menu, then click on Preferences. A dialog box will come up.
2. Click the Clear History button.
3. Click the Clear Location Bar button.
4. In the Category: panel on the left side of the dialog box, click the little next to Advanced. Click on Cache.
5. In the Cache panel on the right, click the Clear Disk Cache button. Click OK when the confirmation box comes up.

On older versions of Netscape Navigator (version 3 and below):

1. Click on the Options menu, then click on Network Preferences. A dialog box will come up.
2. Click on the Cache tab.
3. In the Cache panel on the right, click the Clear Disk Cache button. Click OK when the confirmation box comes up.

AOL

1. Click on the Members menu, click on Preferences.
2. Click on the WWW icon.
3. Select Advanced and then Purge Cache.

These steps empty the history list completely, which might raise the suspicions of a computer-savvy abuser. You can refill the history list by simply going to some innocuous sites like www.cnn.com and www.yahoo.com after you have followed the above steps.

Editing Documents
Be sure not to store documents that you don't want seen on a computer that your abuser has access to (use iBackup and Hyperoffice or another file storage service). If you use a computer to edit confidential documents be sure to:

• Clear Document History on applications like Microsoft Word and Excel. These applications keep a history of the most recent documents opened. You can see them at the bottom of the File menu. The easiest way to clear this history is to open several innocuous documents so that the confidential document names are pushed off the menu. Another way to do this is to click on the Tools menu, click on Options or Preferences, click on the General tab of the dialog box that comes up, then click the Clear History button.
• Delete your document history (see above "Web Browser History A. Delete your document history as follows:").
• Empty your Recycle/Trash bin.

© 2000-2003 Eastside Domestic Violence Program
All information and images on this page courtesy of EDVP.