Given that computers are still the relative new kid on the block with regard to communication technologies, they are also the newest way to spy. There are several advanced methods that you can use to monitor and track the activity and communication of someone else online, but it’s also important not to forget about the basics.
Basic Computer Monitoring Skills
History function
Web browsers contain some basic information about the user’s activity. First there is the “History” function, which will yield a chronological list of recently visited websites. You can use a keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+H) to view the user’s browsing history, or the History icon located on the horizontal menu at the top of the screen (there is also a drop-down menu you can use to locate this function). In Microsoft Internet Explorer, there is a blue clock icon with a green arrow (pointing back in time) for the History function.
In Mozilla Firefox, the History is located in the drop-down menu under “Go.” In both, the keyboard
shortcut Ctrl+H will work, and there is also a “Search” function that allows you to search for keywords among the web pages listed in the browsing history.
Tracking “Cookies”
Another basic way to monitor computer use is by viewing what are called web “cookies.” Cookies are used in an exchange between the browser (what you see and interact with onscreen – the interface) and the browser (the thing that “talks” to the browser and delivers what you see on the screen).
Cookies are little packets of textual information designed to verify certain websites and maintain some information about your interaction with them, such as site preferences and settings or the contents of an electronic shopping cart.
You can access these cookies through the drop-down menu at the top of the screen under “Tools.” In Firefox, select “Options,” then select “Privacy” (the icon with the padlock). At the lower left of that window, you can select “View Cookies.”
In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, select “Internet Options,” then the tab that says “General” (if it is not already selected). In the middle of that window, you’ll see “Temporary Internet Files.” Select “Settings” and then select the “View Files” button. Like the browser History, this list is searchable.
Cache
Finally, all Internet enabled computers maintain a “cache,” which is a temporary file store related
to all web pages visited by a user. It allows pages to load faster when they are re-visited at
a later time. The cache can offer a good map of a user’s recent activity, since often users leave
the files in there undeleted or simply do not know it exists.
In Internet Explorer, the cache entries are found in the same list of files that displays tracking cookies, and are accessed the same way. In Firefox, these temporary files are found in a different way: go to the address bar in the Firefox web browser and type the following:“about:cache.”
You will see a menu that will link to a list of the cache entries.
It is possible to copy the cache or cookies by simply selecting the list of files and copying some or all of them to a removable storage device (such as a USB “memory stick” or a network drive that will store this file on the web).
This will allow you to view the list from another location at another time. (NOTE: sometimes a website or ad is accessed unintentionally, as in the case with “pop-up” windows, so keep this in mind if and when you find anything of interest).
These basic techniques may provide solid information about where the user has been online. In addition, don’t forget about the obvious: sometimes users leave items in the Recycle Bin before they “empty” it, and sometimes users leave passwords stored using their browser settings for quick access to email or other websites. If the user relies on a “password manager” to remember login details so they don’t have to enter it each time, this information is available in the same menu:
Tools > Options > Passwords tab. Also, the browsing history of users is readily available for viewing, both in terms of web addresses (urls) listed in the address bar drop-down menu, and an itemized list of search phrases, which appears in under the “Go” menu of Firefox.