Staying safe is important, especially online. Maybe you don't want anyone to know you are looking for information, support organisations or reading pages from websites that make you feel like you are not alone. That's ok, its your business, you will talk when your ready to and not before. To help you with staying safe online, we have provided a step-by-step guide to covering your tracks on the internet. The safest way to find information on the internet so no one you know can see what your doing would be by using a computer at a local library, a cyber cafe or at a friends house - one that knows what your going through.

Please note: This may not completely hide your tracks as many browsers have features that display recently visited sites.
 

Internet Explorer 6
Click on the Tools menu and select Internet Options... On the General page, under Temporary Internet Files, click on Delete Cookies and then OK. Click on Delete Files, put a tick in the box labelled Delete all offline content and click OK. Under History, click on Clear History and then OK. Now look at the top of the window and click on the Content tab, select AutoComplete and finally, Clear Forms.

Internet Explorer 7
Click on the Tools menu and select Internet Options. In the General page under Browser History, select the Delete... button. Either select and Delete each section: Temporary internet files; Cookies, History; Forms data and Passwords; or select the Delete all... button at the bottom to clear everything.

Firefox 1 (NOT /Netscape)
Click on Tools and then Options, then click on Privacy. Click on the Clear button next to History; Saved Form Information; Cookies and Cache.

Firefox 2
Click on Tools and then Options, then click on Privacy. At private data select settings, ensure that all boxes have been selected and then click on Clear Now.

If you are using Internet Explorer, this box can be found on the MS Internet Explorer Page by clicking on the "View" icon at the top, then "Internet Options", and then the "Advanced" tab. About halfway down there is a "Use Autocomplete" box that can be checked and unchecked by clicking on it.

You can find more information on staying safe online at Computer Hope or Mpvs

Women's Aid also have a fantastic 'Staying Safe' section on their site which can be accessed by clicking here