It's now becoming clear that the biggest threat to our privacy on the Internet comes from those thinking there's money to be made by tracking our browsing habits.

For a long time webDotWiz has used the term marketeer to describe this type of person. These marketeers set out to install on our computers - without our consent or knowledge - their software which is variously described as adware, foistware, spyware or scumware.

So the "No" word is becoming more important. Say "No" to your curiousity when you hear yourself asking, "I wonder what this free screensaver looks like" or "I wonder if this search bar will be better than...".

Unfortunately more and more free screensavers are a source of adware as their authors hope to make some money. Offers of the "best search tool on the Internet" sound too good - and are. And they're more than likely carrying some spyware tool that will be installed in the background if you download it.

The first level of protection is to have Service Pack 2 installed on your Windows XP system so that programs can't be downloaded and installed without your say-so, that is, without you clicking the button to say you want the download to occur. Secondly all computers need Lavasoft's free Ad-aware program so you can scan your system for adware, spyware and scumware, and then have Ad-aware remove any threats it finds.

Visit a site such as www.spywareinfo.com to see what types of adware exist and then know what to avoid. Sadly money is talking at the moment and there are marketeers who think they can invade our Net privacy. Just learn to say "No".

Here's a quick quiz on your use of Windows Media Player.

Do you know where to find the graphics equaliser to adjust the frequencies of sound played, such as boost the bass, or just pick one of the default settings according to the type of music you're listening to?

Where do you find the WOW effects for different speaker types and headphones? What's the simplest way to change the colour of Windows Media Player's skin?

How many different playlists are there? What are automatic playlists? How do you make your own playlists? Why would you bother with playlists?

How long would it take you to find the Radio Tuner page under the Guide tab to listen to any of two thousand Internet radio stations? How many stations do you have listed in your My Stations?

Do you know how many different compression schemes there are for storing music on your hard drive? Which is the better compressed file format, WMA or MP3? When would it be best to use variable bit recording? What do you need to play DVDs through Windows Media Player?

If you gained a perfect score, you can go and turn up everything louder than everything else.