The truth is, there is no such thing as complete privacy. If you send out an e-mail, there's always a chance someone else could intercept it. And with most e-mail systems, the E-mail Administrator has access to your messages. Some companies even monitor their employee e-mail. As a result, you need to think about security. The following are a few tips to get you started.

Don't e-mail any information you want to keep secure! And never give out your password, not even to friends. If someone else has it, there's a chance that more people will find out. Don't use easy-to-guess words or numbers, like your name or your birthday. It's easy for people to guess those. Use both numbers and symbols. It is much harder guessing a password like "z67Aa98bC". And make sure you change your password a lot, in case someone does find out.

Don't leave your machine running when you're not there. This is especially true if you're logged on to someplace secure. If you must leave your computer unattended use a screen saver with password protection for greater security.

Beware of viruses and hoaxes. A virus can't be transmitted through the body (text) of an e-mail. You need to have an executable program that you download from somewhere else to introduce a virus into your computer. A virus could be carried in any attached files you receive with your e-mail. Make sure you use a current anti-virus scanning program before running any attached files. And never open a file if you don't know the sender.

Also be wary of any messages you receive that warn you of an e-mail virus and tell you to immediately forward the message to everyone you know. These are usually hoaxes.

To protect yourself from viruses, first invest in some SOLID virus protection software. The two virus protection giants are @Norton @Antivirus (also known as @Symantec) & @McAfee @VirusScan (Network Associates). 

Second, create a rescue disk set! The virus protection software will include one.

Third, don't keep chain letters and hoaxes going. Do not forward them to anyone and everyone you know. A responsible @Netizen will be mindful of others and delete them immediately.