Chat, IRC & IM

The same concerns about safely and privately using other elements of the Internet equally apply to chatting or instant messaging online.

Chatting (sometimes called IRC) or instant messaging (IM) will reveal your IP address which hackers could target for attacks or to search for and exploit vulnerabilities on your system. Or your chatting and IM habits and preferences, like the chat rooms you like to visit, could form part of an online profile about you used by unscrupulous marketers or data miners.

However, thankfully, you can mask your IP address will chatting or instant messaging. The book, Complete Guide to Internet Privacy, Anonymity & Security, dedicates an entire chapter to online chatting and instant messaging, and shows you how to mask your IP address in the process together with other helpful tips and tricks.