User Guide

Understanding Internet risks
Risks from inappropriate content and activities
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Risks from inappropriate content and activities
There is a wealth of information on the Internet that is easily accessible to
everyone. However, some topics are not suitable for all people. For
example, most people consider pornographic and violent sites to be
inappropriate for viewing by children. You may feel that other topics
should also be off limits.
Blocking site and newsgroup categories
Norton Personal Firewall lets you choose Web sites and newsgroups that
you want to be accessible to people using this computer. Because different
people need different levels of access, you can configure Norton Personal
Firewall to block specific content for each user.
Restricting access to programs
Some Internet-enabled programs might be inappropriate for use on your
computer. For example, you may not want children using realtime chat
programs. You may also want to restrict the use of file transfer programs.
This reduces the risk of introducing viruses, worms, zombies, Trojan
horses, or other malicious code onto your computer or network.
Norton Personal Firewall lets you choose categories of programs that can
access the Internet. It keeps the list of programs up-to-date, so your
protection stays current as new programs are released. You can also add
custom programs, and control their uses as well.
Risks to your privacy
The Internet presents several risks to your privacy. Some sites collect and
save personal information, such as credit card numbers. Some sites track
your Internet usage. Some programs send information about your computer
usage to Web sites without your permission.
Sending private information
You probably don’t want private information, such as credit card numbers
or your home phone number, to be sent unencrypted over the Internet.
Privacy Control prevents private information from being entered on Web
sites that do not use secure, encrypted communications, and from being
sent on instant messenger programs.