Most people understand by now that there’s no such thing as absolute privacy online, and even private browsers can’t control what your ISP can see. Don’t look for information on how to do anything illegal or dangerous, and don’t search for any sites or content that are against the law.

This goes for pretty much all information online, but bogus statistics are rampant all over the internet. If you’re writing a paper, article or anything else that cites statistics, try to get them directly from a reputable research study — if a site doesn’t say where it got its numbers, they may not be reliable.

When visiting a website for the first time – perhaps via an email link – lookout for the telling signs of phishing. These may involve misspellings and grammatical mistakes on the page, aggressive advertising and particularly unusual and complex URLs. If you see some or all of them, leave the website straightaway.

Because many pop-up windows encountered on the internet are often a product of spyware, clicking on the window could install spyware software on your computer. To close the pop-up window, click on the “X” icon in the title bar instead of a “close” link within the window or restart your computer if necessary.

Remote computer control can be useful when troubleshooting if you need someone else to view what’s on your computer. However, when you share that control they’ll have full access to everything on your computer. Only give control to people you can trust. Also, make sure you’re aware of how to instantly cancel the remote control, […]

Devices such as these only receive security updates for a certain period of time, generally three to five years. Take note of whether your device is still receiving security updates (it may automatically inform you when time expires), and don’t use it beyond its intended lifespan.