Surf in secret with Internet Explorer 8

Internet Explorer 8’s Inprivate Browsing feature essentially confines all surfing history to one browser window. When that window is closed, all information about the online activities is erased. This makes it great for use on computers installed in public places such as internet cafes and libraries, or even on a shared home PC. To get going, first launch Internet Explorer. Now either open a new tab and click the ‘Browse with Inprivate’ link in the page or click the Safety button (at the top right) and pick the Inprivate Browsing option. Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl and Shift and P (ie, hold down Ctrl and Shift and then tap P).

A new Internet Explorer window will appear, looking like this. It’s important to note that the original, unprotected Internet Explorer window will remain open – so make sure you use the right one. The protected window differs from the normal Internet Explorer window in having an Inprivate legend alongside the Address bar at the top. This serves as a visual reminder that this browser window will erase all browsing data when it’s closed.

Visit any website as normal, by typing a web address (URL) into the Address bar at the top or choosing a bookmark from the Favorites menu. Here, we’re visiting the Computeractive website. Everything looks and works just the same, though the aforesaid Inprivate legend reminds us that this is an Inprivate browsing window.

To open additional tabs within the Inprivate browsing window, click the New Tab button as usual. New tabs opened this way will remain in the Inprivate window, and therefore protected. So what exactly will Inprivate do to protect your privacy? Well, most websites place cookies on your PC’s hard disk. These are tiny text files that help the website to be more useful on subsequent visits, because they can store site preferences and so forth. However, they can present a privacy problem, as their presence reveals that certain websites have been visited. When using Inprivate browsing, though, downloaded cookies (and all other downloaded files) will be deleted the moment the Inprivate browser window is closed. Do this by clicking the red X at the top right of the Inprivate browser window.

There’s an additional facet of Internet Explorer’s Inprivate feature – Inprivate Filtering. While Inprivate browsing ringfences and subsequently deletes the history and files downloaded during browsing, with Inprivate Filtering switched on unknown websites are prevented from collecting information about your online activities. This is useful because visited websites may use and display content from other websites. The operator of the originally visited website will be able to track what you’re doing – it’s their website, after all; and you’re choosing to visit it. But third-party websites, such as those serving adverts, may also collect information about your visit, without you realising. Inprivate Filtering manages this, either automatically or manually. Note that this Inprivate Filtering feature can be used in conjunction with or independently of the Inprivate browsing mode. To switch it on, click the Safety button at the top right of the Internet Explorer window and click to tick InPrivate Filtering (or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl and Shift and F).

By default, InPrivate Filtering automatically decides what content to block and what to allow – and for most people that should work just fine. However, it may sometimes block content that you’d like to view. To manage the blocking, either select Inprivate Filtering Settings from the Safety button or click the down-pointing arrow alongside the small Inprivate Filtering icon at the foot of the Internet Explorer window and choose Settings. Now select the ‘Choose content to block or allow’ radio button and scroll through the list below, clicking Allow or Block as appropriate. Alternatively, to disable Inprivate Filtering just select the Off radio button in this same dialogue box and click OK.