Over the years I've spoken with many librarians concerned with patron privacy issues when it comes to the library's public access PCs. This concern is evident in many library Internet/computer polices, in which libraries tell patrons that the privacy of their surfing should not be assumed. While no method of protecting the privacy of users on the computers is 100% assured, there are ways to minimize both the amount of information and length of time the computer will store information about your patrons.

The source of the problem is that PCs and browsers are, for the most part, designed for a one-to-one ratio between the user and the PC. Granted, Windows does allow you to create multiple logins on a computer to separate the different needs of different users, but the last thing a library wants to do is to establish individual user logins and profiles for each of its patrons. Since no one would ever think this is a feasible solution, what we end up with is a single login/profile for hundreds, if not thousands of users.

This article briefly introduces you to some of the settings and software hat are available to assist you in protecting your patrons' privacy when using your public Internet terminals.