Welcome back, dear brunchers! We've been around the spanking world in 180 weeks, and we're not nearly done yet.
This question was contributed by our good friend, Dave from The Cherry Red Report.
Have you any advice for spankos on how to keep computers, well, "vanilla-safe," so to speak? What techniques do you use to "de-perv" a computer? In other words, if a friend or family member comes over and wants to use your computer, how do you "cloak" the naughty bookmarks, and make sure no kinky files are stumbled across?
Now there's some practical advice we can all use, right? I invite you to share your PC scrubbing secrets with us. You can do so by simply leaving a comment below. Once everyone has spoken, I will post an edited summary of our conversation.
24 comments :
I have an Apple Mac, so I log friends into the Guest account which is quite safe.
Keeping your own account password protected is a good idea.
Have naughty stuff, pictures etcetera on an external drive that can be disconnected and removed.
Use an online bookmark service so you don't have them on the main browser.
All these apply when I'm traveling with my laptop and my kids might borrow it.
1. Erase my browsing history after every use.
2. Abbreviate the titles of kinky blogs in my bookmarks.
3. Minimize my gmail and Google Reader so that kinky stuff doesn't show up.
4. Bury kinky files deep in the Library (Mac) where all the application preferences, etc. are stored.
Meow
I have downloaded and installed the Pareto Logic Privacy Protector. Googling Pareto should get you to the download site. Once you have it installed, use it at the end of EVERY session. It also helps protect against remote hackers taking over your computer, snooping into your banking records, or others at your computer getting into a recycling bin that you failed to empty or pulling up your recorded keystrokes on your computer (that takes special software and know-how, but it can be done. There are several privacy protectors available, but I like this one because it can be set to do up to a sevenfold shredding, which I understand is military / national security level.
The best thing to do with bookmarks for sites that could cause you trouble is not to use them, period. Offline bookmarks would be my second choice, but what I do is memorize the URLs and type them in every time. To tell the truth, I mostly go to this site and then follow the links given here. Remember, though, that the URL of any site to which you go will be on your hard drive unless you scour it with a reliable privacy protector.
You also can set your browser to erase records of sites visited whenever you power down your computer. That alone, however, would not be enough if someone really wanted to dig up your records. I'd definitely recommend backing it up with Pareto Logic or something similar.
Anon VII
Interesting topic this week. I dont have any ideas since I never really thought about and dont really hide my interests from friends. I would be interested in learning though how I could just in case.
I never use bookmarks, ever.
I have my few play places, and once there, I link from there.
I also have a separate play account, and everything I do is by password.
I never do any search by typing in to the main search thingy at the top, where you get that drag down of everything you go to.
About it, really.
And remembering to log out of course.
Angie
We have 2 PCs and 2 laptops (home business)... and keep one of each completely vanilla-safe. That makes it easy for us. Back when we only had one computer though, we 'buried' links. If you wanted to get to the pervy links for example... you had to open a folder called "politics" then "1980 election" then "Walter Mondale"... and bingo, it's spanky time! lol... from there our links pointed to lots of different spanko sites.
Same idea with picture files. Basically zero protection against anyone snooping, but it worked when family wanted to check their Email on our computer. We also always have used 'spanko' Email addresses. Family has a vanilla Email and that's all they know... and that's obviously all we check when they're around. Plus, we have a vanilla blog... which explains our "blogging" hobby (when it comes up).
There is no 100% safe way to hide your spanko side though... and while we don't push it on anyone, and we do some common sense things to avoid making others uncomfortable... ultimately we don't live our lives based on what others might think (most especially those that would snoop through our computer).
:)
~Todd and Suzy
I rename anything that says spanking into "speaking." This is a great topic. I will use many of the things I learned here today. Thanks everyone!
cheers!
Carly
I just keep a guest account on my machine and have them use that.
Ms. Betty
Nice topic Bonnie. Its been good to read the answers so far. I have more than one browser. My favorite two to use are Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. I save the Internet Explorer for others as I hate the way the safety features work with Wordpress.
But really, no one uses my pc unless they know me pretty well and if I can't trust them to stay out of private business on my pc, then I just don't let them use my pc.
I only use Google Chrome as my web browser. It has a tool called "New Incognito Window" that opens an incognito window! (Duh..., right?) The incognito window stores no cookies or other data after the window is closed. (There are limits to the protection - read the disclaimer - i.e., don't try this at work!)
I don't bookmark "interesting" sites. I use a free program called "Password Safe" and have a special group under a ho-hum boring name for all the titillating sites. Someone would have to hack into my Password Safe account to see these websites. (BTW, I use PW Safe to store the URLs for sites that do not even require passwords. It works great for that. I also use it to store passwords for all of my email accounts, blogs, financial sites, etc. It is a great program!)
Delete browsing history after fapping session. Do not favorite any porn sites; instead, save their URL's in a document somewhere on your hard drive. Preferably under a name like "Statistical Analysis of Norwegian Economy doc 4."
Speaking of hiding stuff on my hard drive, I do the same for spanking stories that I write and/or copypaste from teh intarwebs. Hide them in My Documents, under names like "Folder Options Doc."
I have a Mac, and I don't let people, for the most part, use it. :-D I do, however, have two browsers. One that is MINE, with all of my settings, sites, and bookmarks. The other is completely vanilla and links to nothing. I keep all of my work related stuff on an external hard drive. (Pictures, movies, and potential blog posts.) :-)
I have two ways to protect. No one can get into my computer unless they know the password and no one knows that. In addition, I have two e-mail accounts, one kinky, one vanilla, both need a password to get in. I do have a lot stored on my disk and external hard drive and, I suppose, when I kick the bucket one will be able to find what's stored -- despite the fact that it's all stored within the password protected account and I'm sure an intrepid hacker could find my non-vanilla account. But I am too old to worry about all that.
We are all pretty respectful of each other privacy around here. My children usually leave their journals in plain view. It would never occur to me to read it. It’s their’s, period. I expect the same consideration from them and to my knowledge I have always gotten it. Mollie know I write ‘stories’ and since I have not shared any of them with her I am assuming she knows they are of an adult nature.
Now take the usual precautions on the computer. I have everything that I want to keep private on password protection but I am a realist and I know my children are more computer savvy than I am. So I have told them if they go poking in my private work then they deserve every trauma they get from it. LOL! My son it too wrapped up in his own life to care what I read or write and my daughter is probably scared of what she might find so she stays far away.
I have a different slant than what's been shared. We have no kids, no one shares my computer or my boyfriend's laptop. You'd think there would be no problem.He is a jealous and controlling top. I delete the history everytime after browsing, but he has some way of searching the hard drive. He's much more techno-savvy than I am, I'm not very, obviously. Most of what's been shared here in answer to this question has gone right over my head. But if he doesn't like where I've gone on the Internet, or the content of e-mails, I'm spanked very hard for it. These are punishment spankings, usually done with some unforgiving wooden implement. Our safeword does not work, mercy is not shown.
Wow, LOTS of fantastic ideas and suggestions here...
Thank you all very much, and thank you kindly to Bonnie for featuring my query!!
Dave
Hi, Bonnie,
I was so excited to see this question; but, unfortunately, had no idea what anyone was talking about!!! The only thing I understood, was the guest account solution, which I already have. My computer is password protected; no one can get into my account without the password, and then every email account, AND my blogger, has a different password...sheesh, sometimes I can't remember which is which myself, haha!
But, I AM a little anxious, because when I was on my blog the other week, my son walked in and may well have seen the name of my blog; he said, surprised, "I didn't know you had a blog?" just as I quickly minimised it! I blushed and said, its just for Davey and me...." kinda feebly; I'm now worried he may look it up and have no idea if I can stop him?....
I was concerned about the writer a couple of comments above me, who said "the safeword does not work..."
THE SAFEWORD IS THERE FOR A REASON. IT HAS TO WORK. If it is not respected, then you are not respected, and that spanking becomes abuse.
Hugs, Bonnie, and all, Love, Daisy xxxxxxxxxxxx
First, this is an important topic and one where it is well worth sharing the knowledge.
Like many others here I have two accounts. Also I use two different web browsers, Flock on my account and explorer on the guest account and have disabled the "list sharing" functions on both, to help hide the browsing history.
No matter what techy measures you take, there is always human error to be taken into account. An acquaintance of mine once left her computer to tend to some pans on the cooker, for less than one minute. When she returned to her computer, she then had a conversation with her 7 year old daughter, that started with "Mommy, why has the lady got a stripy bottom>" (except in Flemish). Their solution was to get a new computer for family use and keep the old one for mom and dad alone, in the bedroom away from prying little eyes.
Prefectdt
Good topic Bonnie and some very good suggestions.
We have our own laptops. I password protected mine, rarely have any bookmarks and delete history. Have 3 different emails addresses and have a guest account but I still worry in case something goes wrong.
Thanks Bonnie.
Love.
Ronnie
xx
Hi Bonnie,
I don't keep any files on my computer. All my posts and any pictures and links that accompany them are stored on a memory stick so I can transfer them to Blogger as time permits. This is mainly for my convenience; I can work on posts on any computer and it keeps all my work in one place, but it's also safe since I can encrypt the info on the stick so no one else can read it.
I also give all pictures and files short vanilla names that are meaningful to me but wouldn't arouse suspicion if the names appear in a "recent files" list in Notepad or Paint.
For sites that I log on to, I never select the option to "remember me". I type in my ID and password each time. That way no one else can accidentally gain access. I also don't have kinky bookmarks. I get to other sites from links on my blog, via Blogger.
Ron and I share a computer at home, and I have no secrets to hide, but if I knew someone else would be using the computer I would use the browser option to clear all private data - history, cache, and the rest.
If you find yourself in need of a spanko fix while travelling or visiting, the best option is to have your own laptop and a high-speed wireless internet stick that plugs in to a USB port. That way you won't leave traces of your activity on someone else's machine. Make sure the laptop is password-protected.
Hugs,
Hermione
All good advice.
Firefox can automatically clear your browsing history after each session, much better than IE
A simple clean-up like Window Washer or CCcleaner will tidy temp files etc. and should be used regularly; both available at Download.com
Store pictures on FLicka or Picassa web albums instead of on your computer.
Store useful inks on your blog or in a email, not in bookmarks
Have a spanko email that doesn't require personal details to be stored in the account and doesn't use an email client on you pc, eg gmail
If you download stuff, make sure you check your download manager and know where on you computer it is putting them, having a dedicated download folder helps so you can check nothing has been downloaded you weren't expecting.
Make sure any "remember me" settings are turned off and and watch out for applications which regardless will try to remember the name of the last person who logged in to them, Picassa's upload to web albums has a habit of doing that and needs to be cleared each time.
Never check you blog or spanko email a at work, even if its encrypted the contents can be identified and traced back to you if anyone checks.
If you draft posts in Word before uploading them to your blog, use the facility in Word to password them, even if you put them on a memory stick.
R
The situation has never come up, but if it did, I have a simple solution to it--I have another computer, one is that "perv free", and I'd let them use that one.
The fact that they're both about 10 years old is probably enough to keep anyone from asking to use them, though.... :-)
Dr. Ken
I really need to take some of this advice. My computer is littered with four years of spanko blog remnants and who knows what all else. When I leave this world, I’ve told Randy to burn my PC in a campfire and then bury what’s left in the desert!
Seriously, when our daughter left home, we converted her bedroom into a guest room. Her old computer is still in there and has internet connectivity. Any guest who really wants to check their e-mail is welcome to use that one.
I liked what PK said about 'my daughter stays away because she's afraid of what she might find'! That's always been my attitude, too. It's like that whole "peeking in the medicine chest" mystique; I have no interest in my friends' rashes and blotches.
Oh, I also share the concern of that other poster to someone's "no safe word" statement.
I wonder if there are people -say a gay teen not ready to tell his parents yet - who intentionally leave risque 'breadcrumbs' on their laptops for anxious parents to find? "Oh look, Steve, 'topless sorority cheerleaders' so I guess we were wrong about Jake." LOL
Several of the Brits used the term 'memory stick'; is that the same as a flashdrive? I'm not very techno-savvy but I have tried a couple of these; no 'remember my password', and the two email accounts. Like an accounting double-booking. I wish I could help that lady hide her blog from her son.
Do you know that dodgy website use plummets every Thanksgiving because everyone has family wandering all over their house?
~MissyH
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.