Every day we spend hours on the Internet, so, it is important that our browsing experience stays safe and secure. As you surf the web, a stack of information keeps on getting stored in your PC or Mac. If left there for long, the information can become an easy prey to hackers who can exploit it in numerous ways such as identity theft, tampering of credit history, misattribution, financial fraud, etc. This is the reason that regular “erasure” of Internet history is very important to safeguard you from the risks of data breach.
In this article, you will discover what all constitutes Internet history, why it is important to regularly erase internet history and why you should use a specialized File Erasure software such as Stellar File Eraser for permanent deletion of files.
What is in Internet history?
Internet history refers to the information that is generated as a result of your online activities. The information comprising Internet history includes addresses of sites you've visited, files you have downloaded, Google search history, saved passwords, videos watched, saved passwords, and various other details.
Some of the items and scenarios that come under Internet history are classified below:
1. Active logins
In active login scenarios, you sign in to a website but then migrate to another site without logging out; in these cases, the browser keeps you logged in. Active logins also occur automatically for sites where you have saved your login credentials with the browser.
2. Cache and Cookies
Caches speeds up your browsing experience by storing your previous browsing information. This way when you want to open a webpage which is already downloaded (as cache) in your system, the browser will just load the downloaded page rather than opening a new copy from the internet.
Cookies are the pieces of information the web server sends to your browser when you visit websites. Both cookies and caches are stored in your Internet history.
3. Download and browsing history
Your browsing history i.e. the names and links of the sites you have visited and download history i.e. the files such as pictures you have downloaded are stored as part of Internet history.
4. Automatic fill data
Whenever you use a search engine like Google to surf the web, the browser saves your search queries. This way while doing a new search, when you start typing the letters in the search bar, the browser pops in the suggestion based on your previous searches.
The same goes for the forms you fill online. For e.g. if you are filling a new form and you need to enter your address in a field then the browser can prefill that address field by extracting the address you had filled in a previous form.
Why you should erase your Internet history?
Regular erasure of Internet history is important for the following reasons:
1. Privacy and Security concerns
Regularly erasing your browsing history is very important to maintain a browsing hygiene. During 2015-2016, a very serious security breach at Yahoo occured when hackers used forged cookies to gain access to millions of Yahoo accounts.
2. You don't want to be tracked
In order to personalize your browsing experience, websites track your activities and save your credentials so that you don't need to sign in again. This tracking can be a privacy concern as you are trusting these websites with your personal data. However, if you regularly erase your Internet history then you are making it much more difficult for the websites to identify you.
3. You've used a public computer
You don't want public computers to know your online activities and to remember your email or social media credentials (in case you forgot to sign off). This can expose your credentials to misuse. This is the reason it is advised to delete your internet history, especially on public computers.
4. It makes your browsing slow
Cookies are stored as files in your hard drive and even though they are very small in size (few KBs) but over time, they can accumulate in volume and make your browsing experience slower.
Why you should use a File Erasure software to erase your Internet History
Every browser has a setting which allows you to erase your internet history. You just need to go to the Privacy or Tools bar in your settings and find the history erasure option. The following images show the screen for clearing the browsing data from Google Chrome and Safari.
Figure : Screen showing the checkbox settings for clearing the browsing data from Google Chrome
Figure: Screen showing the settings for clearing the browsing data from Safari
Erasing Internet history through settings doesn't delete the history permanently. A data recovery software (even a free version available on internet) can recover your internet history and defeat the objective of erasing the history in the first place.
The only failsafe method to erase your internet history permanently is to use a File Erasure software. A data erasure software such as Stellar File Eraser uses advanced methods to overwrite your existing data and renders your original data unrecoverable. This way, you are completely protected against any mishaps that might occur if your Internet history data were to be compromised.
Best History Eraser Software to Erase Internet History for Free
Stellar File Eraser is a data erasure tool from Stellar, designed for permanent erasure of your Internet history, system and application traces, cookies etc. stored on your PC, Mac or mobile.
This software provides you a DIY solution for erasing your web browsing history from Chrome, Firefox, Safari and various other browsers.
How to use BitRaser File Erasure to erase your Internet history on your PC
Are you ready to protect your privacy and online activities from unwanted breaches? Below are the few easy steps with which you can deploy BitRaser on your PC
- Install Stellar File Eraser
- Go to the 'Home’ tab and click on ‘Internet Activities’.
- Select 'Google Chrome' from the checkbox list.
- Click on 'Erase Now' and wait till the process is completed.
- Upon completion, the software will give a prompt to restart the system. Click 'Yes'.
Figure: Screen showing the process by which you can use BitRaser to delete Internet history on your PC
BitRaser also allows us to schedule the erasure so that you do not have to manually set up the process every time. We can set this up using the steps below:
- Go to 'Schedule' tab and click on 'Internet Activities'
- Select 'Google Chrome' from the drop-down.
- Choose 'Frequency' under scheduler and enter the date/time details.
- Select 'Show' or 'Hide’ mode.
- Then navigate to 'Advance options' and select the 'Erasure Algorithm' and 'Verification' method.
- Click on 'Apply'.
Figure: Screen showing the settings to schedule periodic Internet cleansing using BitRaser file eraser on your PC.
How to use BitRaser file erasure to erase your Internet history on your Mac
Please perform the following steps to erase all Internet activities on your Mac securely,
- Install Stellar File Eraser software on your Mac.
- Launch the software. From the ‘Select What to Erase’ screen, toggle on the required items to erase, then click Next.
- Select the files to erase, then click the Erase button
- Click the Confirm Erase button to complete the file erasing process.
Figure: Screens showing the step by step process by which you can use BitRaser to delete Internet history on your Mac
Key Benefits
Not just your browser data, Stellar File Eraser can erase any type of data from your system. It safeguards your data privacy by deleting sensitive files and folders beyond the scope of recovery. You can explore the following capabilities of the tool:
- Secure file and folder erasure from PC, laptop, Mac and server
- Permanently erases cookies, browsing history, downloaded data, emails and application traces.
- Erases logical drives or partitions without disturbing the applications and operating system files.
- A DIY software that is very easy to operate
- A certificate of erasure to offer you peace of mind
Conclusion
Regularly erasing your Internet history is essential to safeguard your online privacy. A file erasure tool like Stellar File Eraser does this job efficiently and assures you that your privacy is maintained. It is well recognized and a certified software with advanced erasure capabilities. Stellar File Eraser can offer you total peace of mind while you enjoy web browsing.
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