The updated safety features of Internet Explorer range from automatic filters to block phishing websites to more user-driven options for safer browsing techniques.

SmartScreen and Phishing Filter

A website that has been detected as a phishing website – a site that looks legitimate in hopes that you’ll enter your personal information - is automatically blocked by Internet Explorer 8. In IE IE 8, when you try to visit a phishing website, the SmartScreen-based Phishing Filter pops up to stop you. The bright red page warns you about unsafe activity on the site and encourages you away from the page. The Phishing Filter is automatically activated when using IE 8.

InPrivate Browsing

Under the Safety menu in Internet Explore 8, you’ll find an option for InPrivate Browsing. Using InPrivate Browsing lets you search and use the internet without leaving traces of your activity on the computer. This protects your privacy by preventing the saving of your browsing history, temporary internet files, form data, cookies and username and password entries. Useful for keeping a surprise gift a secret, it is also useful when using public computers as a safety precaution.

Parents concerned about children hiding their browsing history, however, can turn this feature off on the Privacy Tab of the Internet Options property menu.

InPrivate Filtering

While it can be useful at times to have websites bring you offers that relate to previous searches, having third-party companies gathering information from your computer constantly leaves you vulnerable over time. To give yourself a choice over which websites can access information about your browsing activities, you can activate InPrivate Filtering.

When activated, InPrivate Filtering creates a table of third party websites accessing your computer as you search through first party websites, or websites you actively sought to visit. The third party websites might be part of the offerings on the initial site, and gaining access to your computer without your direct knowledge. By creating a table of the times each third party website accesses your machine, InPrivate Filtering blocks the site after a default of 10 visits. This gives you the opportunity to view the offers available through these sites, but keeps you protected from websites gathering too much information about you without your consent.

InPrivate Filtering must be activated each time you browse online and can be enabled by selecting InPrivate Filtering from the Safety menu in IE 8 or by pressing CTRL+Shift+F.