Expert: Doug Woodall - 4/2/2009

Question
Hi Doug- if I'm using the internet (I have a laptop running Windows XP) at a public WiFi spot and I visit someone's webpage or a particular internet site, is there a way the webpage owner or internet site could tell that I visited - via some kind of foot print left by my computer (i.e. does using a public WiFi spot hide my computer's identity in any way)?  Would a program such as Hotspot Shield (www.hotspotshield.com) help in keeping me anonymous?  
Thanks very much! Rob

Answer
Hi Rob,
Your IP will still be logged by your provider. That in itself is a partial record of where youve been. Public connections usually will make your puter even more easy to find, as they can be unsecure.
There are many good anonymous browsers and programs out there if you want to make your tracks harder to log by your provider.

Hope this helps.
Stay safe out there.
Doug