QI am the father of a teenage son. Recently I heard him and a friend discussing the Internet and the advantages of "InPrivate" browsing with the Internet Explorer browser. I am wondering, as a parent, if there any way that I can determine how he is using that feature? Nothing shows in the normal browser history file.
RICHARD GUSTAFSON, STILLWATER
ABecause the "InPrivate" feature of Internet Explorer makes it easy to use the Web without leaving any tracks, there's no way to determine how it's being used.
The only workaround is to use parental-control software that blocks the InPrivate feature.
InPrivate comes with two components that protect privacy in completely different ways.
"InPrivate Browsing" allows people to hide what they do online by leaving no record on the PC of the websites that were visited. It works by automatically deleting cookies (bits of code that identify you to websites) and temporary Internet files (copies of Web pages you've viewed.) In addition, it never stores Web page history or passwords.
The other component, "InPrivate Filtering," detects attempts by websites to track you online, learn your habits and create a profile of you.
InPrivate Filtering works by looking for third-party content (content created by someone other than the website you're viewing), and giving you the option to block it. Why? The third-party content could be a "web beacon," a tiny bit of code that helps websites track your movements.
