How Do You Check Internet Activity?

Spyware is not the same thing as monitoring software.

Learning what websites your children have been visiting, viewing the contents of online chats or even being able to monitor what your employees are looking at on company time are all reasons why you would want to monitor another person's Internet activities. Monitoring Internet activity is a matter of accessing the Internet browser history and or installing a special monitoring software on the computer's hard drive. There are several kinds of monitoring software available on the market and the Top Ten Reviews website offers a comparison chart to help you start picking which one might be right for you.

Things You'll Need

• Monitoring software (optional)

Instructions

Check the History

1. Log on to the Internet to any web page. Click anywhere on the web page.

2. Press the "Ctrl" and the "H" keys on your keyboard at the same time if you have Microsoft Internet Explorer for a web browser. A box will appear on the left side of the website and this displays the history of all the websites that have been visited. You can view the results by date, site or most visited. You can also see the order in which the sites were visited and even do a keyword search within the history.

3. Click on the "History" section along the top menu choices if you use Mozilla Firefox for a web browser. Select "View in Sidebar" and a box will appear. From here you can select to view the sites in the history by date, site or what has been most visited.

Install Monitoring Software

1. Choose the right monitoring software for your situation. Select one that is compatible with your operating system and gives you specific features you may need, such as real-time monitoring, screen capturing or keystroke recording.

2. Install the software according to the manufacturer's specifications.

3. Set the monitoring software to capture data at intervals of your choosing or configure the settings to allow you remote access to monitor in real time.

Tips & Warnings

• Prevent unauthorized or potentially dangerous Internet surfing for children by limiting their time online, configuring the parenting controls on your operating system and keeping your family computer in the main living area of your home. In the business place, remind employees often about your company's Internet usage polices at meetings, through emails and company bulletins. Work with your information technology department to review any employee's Internet activities.

• Spyware and monitoring software are not the same thing. Spyware is downloaded onto your computer without your permission and purposely mines sensitive personal identifying data such as names, passwords and bank account information. Monitoring software is tested and licensed for legal public use, installed on your computer with your permission and allows you to set up and control the various settings and features.

References

• Internet Family Fun: How to Check Your Browser's History File
• Smart Computing: Monitor Internet Use
• Monitoring Software Review: 2010 Monitoring Software Review Product Comparisons
• Anti-Spyware Coalition: Anti-Spyware Coalition Definitions Document