Complete Idiot's Guide to Protecting Yourself Online

Do you like buying things on the Internet with your credit card? Think other people wouldn't like buying things with your credit card, too? Have you given out personal information to register for "contests" and "events?" Beware. Sometimes the wizard making the promises is only a little man sitting behind a curtain pulling levers and talking through microphones. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Protecting Yourself Online makes sure that you take the necessary steps and precautions when registering, ordering, or even just conversing on the Internet. Keep people out of your personal life by creating hacker-proof passwords, removing your name from databases, and eliminating a third party's ability to accumulate information about you—such as address, Social Security number, credit card numbers, and more.

Preston Gralla is Executive Editor for ZDNet, and a long-time journalist with Ziff-Davis Publications. Preston is the author of 11 books, including the popular How the Internet Works, and The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Online Shopping. An award-winning writer and editor, he has written about the Internet and technology for many newspapers and magazines, including the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and PC Magazine.