Internet Explorer 9 Tips - View a Website's Privacy Policy

While websites shouldn't store or use personal information you provide, including your email address, for anything other than site related needs, it does happen. However, anything a website uses your information for must be listed clearly in their privacy policy. The trick is actually finding the policy, which is often at the bottom of the page in extremely fine print. With Internet Explorer 9, viewing a privacy policy just got easier.

Internet Explorer 9 is created to give you even more control over security and privacy. This includes a nice little feature called the Privacy Report. Before you enter anything, check out the privacy report. It only provides a summary, but it's enough to let you know what information is stored and shared. It's also a great way to see if you should read the entire privacy policy before using a website.

Please note this feature is currently only available in version 9. Previous versions used the Security Report, which was not as detailed. Some sites are not compatible with the Privacy Report feature. For these sites, please read the privacy policy if you have any concerns.

Using the Privacy Report

Open an Internet Explorer 9 session. Go to the website in question. For best results, visit larger companies, especially to try out the report. Press the Tools button at the top right hand corner of the window. In Internet Explorer, it looks like a gear instead of any text and is located beside the star icon.

Select Safety to expand the available options. Select Webpage privacy policy. This opens the Privacy Report window. Numerous pages are often listed, especially for larger sites. To view the policy for the site itself, choose the main website, which is typically listed first.

Press the Summary button after the website's URL is highlighted. This displays a summary of the privacy policy for a site. It also provides an easy to find link to the entire privacy policy at the top of the window under the Privacy Summary for section. The summary lists any certificates and what information is collected and why. If the site uses cookies, you can also change cookie settings for the specific site within the privacy window.

How You Benefit

Should any company misuse your information, their privacy policy makes them accountable for any damages done. Having this accountability makes the company less likely to break the promises and rules listed in the policy. You know exactly what to expect and the company keeps you as a customer or visitor.