Page 712 - Windows 10 May 2019 Update The Missing Manual: The Book That Should Have Been in the Box

Do Not Track

You know how there’s a “Do not call” list? If you register your phone
number with this list, telemarketers are legally forbidden to call you.

Now there’s a “Do not track” list, too. If you turn this feature on in your
browser—like Edge—then web advertisers are supposed to not track your

web activities, which they like to do in order to market to you better.

There’s a difference, though. Advertisers’ respect for your Do Not Track
setting is optional. There’s no law that says they have to obey it. As a result,

it’s essentially a useless feature.

If you care, you can find the Do Not Track setting like this: Click →

→ “Privacy and security.” Turn on “Send Do Not Track requests,” if it’s not
on already.

Hotspot Security

One of the greatest computing conveniences is the almighty public wireless

hotspot, where you and your Wi-Fi–enabled laptop can connect to the
internet at high speed, often for free, in public places around the world.

But unless you’re careful, you’ll get more than a skinny latte from your

local café if you connect to its hotspot—you may get eavesdropped on as
well. It’s possible for hackers sitting nearby, using free shareware programs,
to “sniff” the transmissions from your laptop. They can intercept email
messages you send, names and passwords, and even the images from the

web pages you’re visiting.

Now, you don’t have to sell your laptop and move to the Amish country
over this. There are a few simple steps that will go a long way toward

keeping you safe:

Tell Windows you’re on a public network. When you first

connect to a wireless network, Windows asks whether it’s a public
or a private one. Choosing Public gives you extra protection.

Technically speaking, Windows turns off network discovery, the