Web bugs are also often used in e-mail messages. They let senders track the opening rate of an e-mail. Again, this is for the benefit of advertising.

I can already imagine the e-mail piling up in my inbox. So, I am going to stop here a moment. I do not use Web bugs on my site or in any of my newsletters. You can rest assured that I am not tracking you online!

It is relatively easy to block Web bugs in e-mail. First, you can block your e-mail program from downloading images automatically. This alone should do the trick. Outlook should block images by default.

In case you changed your settings, you can re-block the images. In Outlook 2007, click Tools>>Trust Center. Click Automatic Download. Select "Don't download pictures automatically in HTML e-mail messages or RSS items." Click OK.

You can also set your e-mail program not to render HTML in messages. In Outlook 2007, click Tools>>Trust Center. Click E-mail Security. Select "Read all standard mail in plain text." Click OK.

I also recommend disabling Java, JavaScript and VBScript in your e-mail program. They can cause big trouble. Again, click Tools>>Trust Center in Outlook 2007. On the E-mail Security tab, deselect both options in the Script in Folders section. Click OK.