Here are several simple things people can do to protect themselves online:
Avoid the cookie monster. You can use your browser to set up a list of the sites that can give you cookies. Don’t let any other sites have them, and don’t accept their cookies.
Don’t talk to strangers. Use pseudonyms for your e-mail and chat accounts. Don’t give your real name or information about yourself to people you don’t know well. Same goes for sites you’re unfamiliar with.
Don’t fill out Web forms. The fewer places that have your personal information, the more protected you are.
Use encryption where you can, and finally, when in doubt, fax. Wysopal notes that no one has yet developed spyware for fax machines.
And that’s just dog-gone good sense.
