Ok, you've got a computer, and you get online. You surf your favorite sites, Sports, Shopping, Cowchip Tossing Blogs, and so on. Your kids download songs and IM their friends. But are you being tracked? Is your personal information stored safe on your computer or is it being mined to a geeky looking guy sitting in the dark half a continent away? Do you know for sure you are secure? Many people don't.

They take it for granted that their service provider is watching over them. If there is one thing I can't stress enough, it's always read the fine print before You hit the download button. A survey I read about a year ago stated that Less than 7 % read the info posted on the Download windows. Some Spyware will Download itself without even you knowing it.

And then how about the Link Hijackings? You go to your Bank URL, but you don't Notice that it's been changed slightly. The Login and Password you enter now is in The hands of a person who likes to shop!

There are the less dangerous Pop-ups. They are annoying sure, but sometimes it Can get so bad you can't click them closed fast enough to even close out your browser.

Spyware can slow your computer to a crawl, taking minutes to open a site. It can Log your keystrokes, mine your data, reboot your computer, even cause it to not boot up.

You've got to be safe people!

The Internet is a wonderful place. It's come a long way and it's got a long way to go still, enjoy it.

About the Author:
Doug Woodall
SpywareBiz

Doug Woodall has a website at http://www.spywarebiz.com. There he provides free information and recommended products to combat Spyware.

He also runs the SpywareBiz Blog at http://learningfolder.com/Blogs/297/

He is a member of the IWA (International Webmasters Association)

Doug can be reached at spywarebiz@comcast.net

Article edited for proper content by Wendy McCallum