FIND YOUR COOKIE

Your cookie is the string of text that identifies you to cookie-catching Websites. Use your computer's Find command to get any file with the word cookie in its name. You should be able to figure out by its title which one is your "magic cookie." Look at it using a word-processing program to find out who is stashing cookies in your browser.

RIG YOUR COOKIE

Both Netscape's and Microsoft's browsers give you the option of being warned whenever a Website asks for your cookie. That way, you can refuse to proceed if you don't want to reveal anything about yourself.

DISABLE YOUR COOKIE

Go to www.luckman.com and get a free "anonymous cookie," a program that disables cookies, among other things.

KNOW WHAT YOUR BOSS KNOWS

On Netscape's browser, in the Location field, type about:global. This shows everyplace you've visited, in some cases going back months. In Microsoft's Internet Explorer, you can list every site you've visited for the past 20 days by opening the Go menu and choosing the Open History item. You can erase this stuff by selecting the Clean Cache option on either browser.

SURF THE WEB ANONYMOUSLY

You can browse the Web from behind a privacy curtain by first connecting to www.anonymizer.com. The free account imposes a 60-second delay on all browsing; a pay option lifts that annoying restriction.

PROTECT YOURSELF

--Just say no to telemarketers If you don't want to get an unlisted telephone number (cost: $1.50 a month), practice the mantra "I don't take phone solicitations." Once you buy, you're put on a chump list that's sold to other marketers.

--Consider removing your name from many direct-mail and telemarketing lists

Write to:

Direct Marketing Association Mail/Telephone Preference Service P.O. Box 9008 (mail) or P.O. Box 9014 (phone) Farmingdale, NY 11735

--Pay cash whenever possible The less you put on your credit cards, the fewer details anyone has about your buying habits.

--Be wary about buying mail order Many mail-order companies sell their customer lists. So call the company to check its procedures (unless you like catalogs).

--Give your Social Security number only when required by law Many organizations, from school to work, use it as your ID number. Resist them. (Experts say it often helps if you can tell someone in authority about your concerns.)

--Think twice before filling out warranty cards or entering sweepstakes These are data mines for marketers. Besides, most products are guaranteed by your sales receipt. And have you ever won anything in a sweepstakes?

--Be careful when using "free blood-pressure clinics" Typically, your data will be used by marketers and pharmaceutical companies.

--Avoid leaving footprints on the Net You're being watched even as you browse. And search engines index your postings to public forums such as Usenet by your name.