My Computer is passing out my name, and who knows what else

[HandsOff]

Hello,

It has been less than a year since i became aware of how necessary it is to guard one's privacy. That started when I first got an always on internet connection. Since then I have been struggling, and thinking i have finally become somewhat safe...
...so imagine how i feel when i install new software and it prods me to register my product, and supplies a form, WITH MY NAME ALREADY FILLED IN!

That cute little trick has always seemed like a slap in the face to me, by the way. Now keep in mind that when i installed XP i entered a phony name, and i when i was asked if i want forms auto-completed (by some microsoft function i said "no")

I have recently resized my partitions and reinstalled window, i dont know where i made a mistake. maybe during the updates installations? Anyway, i feel like a huge target is now drawn on my #&#*%^&!

i think it might even be MS Word 2002 related. i may have put my real name on that when i was still naive. Any suggestions, i know this happens to a lot of people, i have heard people say that websites welcome them by name. at least that hasnt happened to me....yet

thanks for your attention,

HandsOff

[JayK]

Well since presumably the registration is done locally on your computer, this should be harmless.

[HandsOff]

Thanks for the reply,

I agree that it is relatively harmless, only my philosophy is that the process of loosing your privacy starts with some little thing you don't believe is of any consequence. If you allow that little thing to go unchallenged then the next little thing adds to the errosion of your privacy.

That is not to say that i can do anything about it, however, in the final analysis what this filling in for me tells me is
1) My name is stored on my computer
2) The program which I was installing, Nero Burn, for the record,
knew exactly where to find it. Suggesting that it might be easily
fixed.

Another privacy related issue that does not seem entirely harmless to me is applications that install automated checks for updates and so on. So far as I know, my firewall blocks these attempts, but it is an unpleasant fact that at least two programs i can think of attempt to update without bothering to get your permission first. If the succeed, who is to say they do not havest my name first.

I'm not going off the deep end on this, and I realize that there are additional safeguards in place, however, to sum it up, if it is easy to locate this little security hole and fix it, than i would perfer doing it.

-HandsOff