Due to the recent implementation of 'third-party' sharing of Microsoft Hotmail personal profile information, I thought I'd write a short tutorial to show how to limit (as much as possible) how much of your personal data is passed on to these 'other companies'.
Hopefully implementing these settings will not only reduce the amount of spam you get, but also help protect your personal data.
Most of this information is available on Microsoft's Hotmail Web pages, but this tutorial summarises all the important information without you having to spend hours trying to find it all.
I will go through each of the options available in Hotmail that have an effect on the sharing of a users personal data or the handling of Spam, and show you how to configure them to provide you with as much privacy as possible.
First of all you need to log-in to your account...
// LOGGING IN TO YOUR ACCOUNT//
When you log-in to your account you are given several 'security options' displayed just below the username and password boxes.
This is what Microsoft has to say (denoted by M$):
M$: "If you are the only one who uses your computer, or if you're not concerned about keeping private information from the others who use your computer (such as your spouse), you can select the Keep me signed in to this and all other .NET Passport sites unless I sign out option on the Sign In page.
With this option you can move freely in and out of MSN® Hotmail®, and each time you return, Hotmail will automatically sign you in and send you directly to your Inbox.
For your security, however, we might ask for your password if you return to Hotmail, after a lengthy absence. For that reason, you should keep your Hotmail member name and password in a safe place so that you can refer to them when you need to."
I personally think that option should NEVER be used.
And as for keeping your user name and password somewhere safe, so that you can refer to it when you need to, the only safe place it should be kept is in your head - memorise it, DO NOT write it down, and definitely DO NOT write it on a little yellow sticky label, and attach it to your monitor or keyboard.
M$: "When you sign in to Hotmail on a public computer (such as in a library or cyber café), it is recommended that you select the Public/shared computer option on the Sign In page.
This option expires pages from the browser's cache when you sign out of Hotmail, which means that someone using the computer after you cannot see your Hotmail pages by clicking the Back button on the browser or by any other means.
When you are finished, make sure you sign out by either clicking a purple Sign Out link on Hotmail or any other .NET Passport site or by closing every instance of the browser.
When you sign out, all personal information is deleted from the computer."
This is the option you should use every time you sign-in, ('Public/shared computer (Increased security)' option).
You may experience some slowness while using this option as the pages not being temporarily stored on your local hard disk.
This option needs to be manually selected each time you sign in.
M$: "The Hotmail sign in option for increased security at shared computers is designed for users who sign in from libraries, schools, or Internet cafes.
This sign in option expires pages from the browser's cache when you sign out of your account. This means that as long as you sign out, the pages you visited while in Hotmail cannot be viewed by other users of a shared computer.
To use this feature, you must have a browser (Netscape or IE) that is version 3.0 or higher.
The Increased Security feature is not currently supported in IE for the Macintosh or on MSN Calendar."
When you sign out, you are automatically signed out of Hotmail and all other .NET Passport sites you signed in to (unless you selected the "Keep me signed in to this and all other .NET Passport sites" option). All of your .NET Passport information stored on the computer is removed.
However it is good practice to ALWAYS use the sign-out button.
The Hotmail sign-out button is located at the top right of every hotmail Web page, BUT...
Because they use a 'picture' as the sign-out button you have to make sure your browser is set to show pictures or you will not be able to successfully sign out.
// HOTMAIL OPTIONS //
now that you have logged into your account, click on the "Options" link just to the left of the 'help' link near the top of the page (home page).
You are now given several options, sorted into three catagories: Your Information, Mail handling and Additional Options.
I will go through each option, that has an impact on your Privacy, and explain how best to set them up.
// YOUR INFORMATION //
This section deals most with the Privacy of your personal information and with the amount of Spam (junk e-mail) that you will receive.
/ Personal Profile /
This option holds all the personal information you provided when you signed up to your hotmail account.
It also contains options relating to how much of this personal information is shared with third-parties.
First name and Last name.
These are both sent with every e-mail you send. If you want to try and remain slightly more anonymous (but only from very basic users) do not enter your name, use a nickname or "anonymous" instead.
Country/Region, Region, Postcode, Time-zone.
Gender(Male/Female), Birthdate, Occupation.
Accessibility(Yes/No).
These few boxes contain personal and geographical information. I personally cannot see any reason for providing this information.
From the information given, a third party could find out the following:
Where you live to within a few houses (country, region, postcode)
An educated guess as to your technical knowledge, likelyhood of poor password practices, likelihood to complain if they receive spam or their account is compromised (gender, birthdate, occupation).
Likelihood that you could be interested in their product/service (occupation).
Next you are given three options that let you choose how much of your, .NET Passport, personal information Microsoft can share with other companies:
Share my e-mail address.
Share my first and last names.
Share my other registration information. (This information, which is stored in your Microsoft® .NET Passport and required for registration at many Web sites, includes: Birth Date, Country/Region, Region, Postal Code, Gender, Accessibility, Time Zone, Occupation)
According to M$: "You can speed registration and get personalized services at participating sites by sharing your .NET Passport information with them when you sign in."
Whilst all of these options 'could' save you a bit of time, were you to log into any other Microsoft Passport sites, It only takes a few seconds to log-in.
Personally I suggest that you DO NOT select any of these options. If they are already selected by default, un-select them.
Also, typing in your password every time you log-in to a Pasport site will help you to remember your password, removing the need to write it down anywhere.
Please note that these options may not come into effect until you logout and re-login to your account. If you have changed any of these options, re-login now.
/Member Directory/
M$ "The Hotmail Member Directory is designed to let Hotmail members find each other while still protecting each individual's privacy.
Privacy is assured because members' e-mail addresses are never shared--only name and general location (e.g. state or country) are presented with Hotmail Member Directory listings.
Mail can be sent to Hotmail Member Directory listing, but only through a special Compose page that does not reveal the e-mail address of the intended recipient. "
Having your name in the Directory WILL increase the amount of spam you receive. The only sensible option here is to make sure that the 'Please list me in the Hotmail Member Directory' check box is NOT selected.
Of course, not being in the directory means that Microsoft will not allow you to search the directory, but I don't see this as a disadvantage.
/Free Newsletters/
This section lets you subscribe to free newsletters. This means that your e-mail address is added to a Microsoft list, or given to a third party company to put on their list, to receive free newsletters.
These free newsletters will then start arriving in your inbox anywhere from once a month to several a day.
You should be aware that some e-mail newsletters could result in up to 100 e-mails a day!!
In the interest of Privacy, you should make sure that NONE of the checkboxes are selected.
This will reduce the amount of spam, not only in the form of the newsletters themselves (not every issue will be of interest to you) but also any spam that the third-party companies may send you.
The less people with your e-mail address the better.
/MSN Featured Offers/
M$: "MSN Hotmail continuously searches for special discounts with select merchants, then notifies Hotmail members who have indicated an interest in related topics. These MSN Featured Offers are mailed to Hotmail Members periodically, and can be discontinued at any time. "
Basically, this option allows MSN to send you information on selected offers.
This will result in spam, and possibly in third-parties being allowed access to your e-mail address to send you information.
So, in the interest of Privacy make sure NONE of the checkboxes are selected.
// MAIL HANDELING //
This section deals with how Hotmail handles the Spam (junk e-mail) that you receive.
Used Properly, and in the correct combination, these options can reduce the amount of spam you receive to zero. However there are also certain restrictions and disadvantages to using them, and as yet I haven't found the best combination.
/Junk Mail Filter/
This option filters all your incoming e-mail and decides (depending on the level you set, and certain 'rules') whether the e-mail is junk or not.
There are four options:
LOW:
M$: "The Junk Mail Filter is set to Low. Most incoming e-mail messages will be delivered to your Inbox. The most easily identified 'junk mail' will be sorted to your Junk Mail Folder.
You are likely to regularly receive a significant number of unwanted (i.e., 'junk') messages in your Inbox. "
This option doesn't remove much Spam, but is better than nothing at all. You should also check the contents of your 'junk Mail' folder occasionally, to make sure it hasn't made a mistake.
E-mails in your address book, and on your 'safe list' should not be added to the 'Junk Mail' folder.
HIGH:
M$: "The Junk Mail Filter is set to High. Incoming e-mail will be delivered to your Inbox, but many messages likely to be Junk Mail will be sorted to your Junk Mail Folder.
Few unwanted (i.e., 'junk') messages should make it to your Inbox, as most will be caught and sent to your Junk Mail Folder."
This option removes much more of the Spam before it reaches your inbox. However it also makes more mistakes as well, so you need to check your 'Junk Mail' folder more carefully.
EXCLUSIVE:
M$: "The Junk Mail Filter is set to Exclusive. E-mail from addresses appearing in your Address Book or your Safe List will be delivered to your Inbox. All other mail will be delivered to your Junk Mail Folder.
Keep your Address Book up-to-date to get the right mail in your Inbox. We make it easier by prompting you to create an Address book entry when you send mail to someone new."
This option puts all e-mail in the 'Junk Mail' folder, unless it is from an e-mail address in your address book, or on your 'safe list'.
It removes all spam, and allows only e-mails from addresses you trust and/or know.
As with the previous two options it is a good idea to check your 'Junk Mail' folder to make sure you haven't recieved any important e-mails from addresses not in your address book, or on your 'safe list' (for example a friend changes their e-mail address and sends you a message from his new address).
OFF:
Very simply the filter is off, and all mail is delivered to your inbox.
/Junk Mail Detection/
This option allows you to control how long to keep the 'junk mail' that has been detected by the 'junk mail filter'
You have two options; Immediate and Delayed.
You can chose for it to be kept in your 'Junk Mail' Folder for 7 days (Delayed Deletion),
or to be deleted before it reaches your account (Immediate Deletion).
My advice is to use the 'Delayed' option. This way, if someone does send you an e-mail that gets mistaken for junk, you won't loose it.
This also means you have to check through your junk mail to see if it has mistaken any guenuine e-mails for junk.
However, if you want to go for 100% privacy, you can set it to delete, and using other options in this section, only recieve e-mail from those addresses you already know and trust.
/Safe List/
M$: "Use the Safe List to make sure that Junk Mail Filter never sends important mail to your Junk Mail folder. Messages from addresses (or domains) on your Safe List are always delivered to your Inbox. "
This option allows you to make sure that e-mails from a certain address, or domain, are ALWAYS delivered to your inbox. Used together with the 'junk mail detection' and 'junk mail filter' options, this can greatly reduce the amount of spam in your inbox.
/Mailing Lists/
M$: "Messages from some mailing lists arrive at your account with a 'To:' address that isn't your e-mail address, and as a result are likely to be filtered to your Junk Mail Folder. Most often the 'To:' address is the mailing list's address.
To insure you receive mailing list messages in your Inbox identify the 'To:' address for each of your mailing lists. "
This is like the 'safe list' option, except for mailing lists. If you decide to subscribe to a mailing list it will guarantee that it reaches your inbox, and doesn't get mistaken for Spam.
/Block Sender/
M$: "Incoming messages from e-mail addresses (or domains) on your Block Sender List are deleted. These messages are never delivered, and as a result will not appear in your Junk Mail or Trash Can folder."
This option is very useful if you keep receiving junk e-mails from a particular e-mail address, or domain.
All you need to do is add the e-mail address or domain to this list and it will be deleted before reaching your account.
/Custom Filters/
These allow you to filter the incoming mail in a variety of ways. I have found them to be rather inaccurate though, and cause more problems than they solve.
In terms of Privacy and Spam, the same results can be achieved much more easily by using the other options described above.
// ADDITIONAL OPTIONS //
Most of these options relate to Security, rather that Privacy, and so I will not cover them in this tutorial.
The 'Reply-To Address' can be changed under the 'Reply-Related Settings' option, but it has very little impact on your privacy, as the 'From' part of the e-mail header will still contain your e-mail address.
// MICROSOFT'S SECURITY SUGGESTIONS //
I have included Microsoft's suggestions on how to 'improve the security of your MSN Hotmail account' below:
Most of these points are aimed at Security, however some are Privacy related.
Sign out of Hotmail when you are finished with a session or before you go to another Web page, by clicking Sign Out in the upper right corner of any Hotmail page.
Change your password often. Use a strong password, one that is at least six characters and uses both numbers and letters.
Update your secret question frequently. If you are the only one who knows the answer to your secret question, you are the only one who can access your Hotmail account and change your password.
Use caution when opening attachments, and never open attachments from unknown sources. If the subject line of a message seems dubious or unexpected, do not open any files attached to the message.
Set up your Junk Mail Filter to control the unsolicited e-mail you might receive. Never reply to a spam message, even if it is to request that you not receive further messages. This will only confirm to the sender that your e-mail address is
valid, and you might receive more unsolicited e-mail as a result.
If you are using a public or shared computer, such as at a library or cybercafé, select Public/shared computer on the sign-in page.
Keep your browser and Internet software updated. Web browsers, such as Internet Explorer, often provide updates that deliver enhanced security features and resolve security issues.
Turn off your Web browser's auto-complete settings. Some browsers can be set to automatically complete a partially typed password. For ultimate protection, turn this setting off in your browser.
// Conclusion //
I hope by reading this you have been able to protect your privacy a bit more, but most of all I hope it has made you think about your online privacy. In a world which is quickly becoming more integraded with the online world, it is important for people to understand how their privacy is affected.
Until next time... Surf-Safe!
Tacheon
This article was originally published by CyberArmy.net in the CyberArmy Library.
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