just wanted to pipe in here with a pseudo rant/stream of consiousness with tons of spelling errors and bad use of punctuation.
ZoneAlarm is an easy piece of firewall software to set up and use. (and not half bad either)
The dat file used to store information should be wiped when a user clicks the 'delete files' within IE, it doesn't and the software doesn't tell you of the files' existance and the failure to delete. This is what makes it wrong. Microsoft should make it blatantly obvious that such a file exists, and give a reason why it doesn't delete it. (by the way I am not a MS basher at all)
To the posters who say 'why bother, only someone who has something to hide should be worried', there are things to be worried about (within the USA that is, your countries' laws may vary). It's your computer, anything that is on it is your responsibility. What is worrisome is the possible misuse or misunderstanding of such data, what if a friend uses your machine with or without your knowledge? What if they viewed 'bad' information, while you are in the bathroom, because they are curious, and then wipe the info using 'delete internet cache' through IE. Sorry, the record is still there, and you are responsible, two years later, a neighbor pissed off at your barking dogs says you looked suspiciously at his young daughter, the police search your residence, find the dat file record, boom off to jail. But you are innocent. The innocent do go to jail. It happens, I have seen it, do you want to lose a couple years of your life (if lucky) due to a 'misunderstanding' of data?
the law in America can be rather harsh and limit the sentencing of people to obscene terms.
To make this brief, I will use two examples of recent court cases (within two weeks). Man goes to visit his uncle, his uncle isn't back from walking the dog yet, and he doesn't have a key, so he waits on the porch. Fed-Ex arrives with a package for the uncle, man signs for package. Fed-ex leaves. Police show up with warrant, (stake-out) they open the box, medium amount of cocaine is inside. Man is arrested for drug trafficing. The package was not really for his uncle, it seems it is sometimes use tactic of drug trafficers to use ups and fed-ex for delivery of 'goods', but have the stuff delivered to houses where the unsespecting owners are not there most of the time, etc... They station a person waiting for delivery and sign for the package... poof, no trace. Anyway, this gentleman, who had no prior convictions, was sentenced 15-life as that is the minimum sentance for someone who is found with that amount of cocaine in their possesion. (the judge in question could have overturned, but judges almost never do (and I do mean never))
second case, florida, 12 yr old was rough-housing with 6-7 ry old cousin, something they do rather often, the young girl dies very much by accident(I believe he sat on her). The state decides to try the 12 yr old as an adult(which is very common now adays) for murder in the first degree, the jury finds him guilty on the key point is that he intentionaly was trying to cause harm, the jury only had to decide that one point, did he intentionaly try to cause harm. (of course, that is what rough-housing is) The boy was just sentanced to life.
Ever hear of parents having their children taken away because of allegations of hitting(a single spanking)? kiddie porn(picture of toddler in bath with shampoo spikey hair)? It happens. I have seen the cases (I work with DYFS on occasion) Usually the parents get the kids back eventually, sometimes weeks, months, or years afterward, sometimes with bills from the state to cover the housing and care of the kids(and in one case the cost of the investigation itself).
My point is basically the system fails sometimes, it isn't perfect, the innocent sometimes go to jail, if they are lucky they are vindicated soon (sometimes years afterward if at all). I for one do not want to be an innocent in jail and lose a single day or have someone take away my kids for a few months, due to a 'misunderstanding'. Innocent until proven guilty. Innocent until proven guilty.
RX
