How to Erase Internet Activity

As you use the web for everything from finding recipes to buying a new home, your digital footprint accumulates. Web browsers keep track of everything you do online – including your browsing history, cache files, cookies, autofill data and search history.

It’s a handy feature for when you want to revisit a funny article or find that photo of your kids again, but some people may prefer not to have their online activity constantly tracked.

Whether you’re worried about someone spying on your computer or simply don’t want to leave a paper trail, you can erase your Internet activity easily and permanently with a few steps. The easiest way is to use a professional data eraser program such as BitRaser File Eraser.

This will permanently delete your files from a hard drive and prevent them from being recovered even with advanced recovery tools.

If you have a Google account, you can erase your search history from the “web app and activity” page by selecting all time or choosing a custom range. This will not stop Google from tracking your searches, but it will make the information less valuable to marketers.

Clearing your browser’s history is one of the best things you can do to protect your privacy. It’s also a great way to get rid of old data and free up space on your hard drive. While a VPN is an effective way to eliminate your Internet "paper trail" from third parties, it’s important to regularly clear your browser’s own data as well.

Not only will this help your hard drive, but it will also help you avoid being the victim of a data breach or other cyber attack.