Since Google includes publicly-listed phone numbers in their search results, you can type any business or residential phone number into their search box and get the associated address and a link to an online map. If you’d prefer to have your phone listing removed from Google, you’ll find instructions here along with a list of other websites that provide reverse directory lookup.

If you’ve been bombarded with annoying Messenger Service pop-up windows, you’ll be happy to know that these can be disabled in Windows XP, 2000 and NT. Here’s a site from the University of Virginia with step-by-step how-to instructions, and another from site of the book “Internet Privacy for Dummies“.

As you surf the Internet, you broadcast an IP address that can be used to collect data about your Internet habits. Surfing anonymously can be done a variety of ways. Here are three ways to hide your tracks: MegaProxy, Subdimension, and Anonymizer.