Fortunately, there are laws to protect you when you’re online. And legitimate online advertisers are concerned with protecting your data—you should be, too.

here are some smart precautions

• Safeguard your computer: Use a firewall so only trusted servers can access your computer. Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software - and keep it updated.
• Read privacy policies: Before sharing personal information, read a site’s privacy policy. Does it guarantee to safeguard your data and not sell or share it? If the site has no policy, be wary.
• Never reply to spammers: Millions of spammers fire off their unwanted spam messages without knowing if the email addresses are real. When you respond, you indicate there's a real person attached to your address, prompting a potential spam flood.
• Don’t click it: Never click a link in a spam, especially if it leads to a site where financial transactions occur, (e.g., a bank or credit card company). Reach those sites the “right” way—through your browser.
• Be smart with cookies: You can manage your cookies by going into your browser's privacy settings to accept all cookies, no cookies, or save cookies only from sites you know and trust. To manage Flash cookies go to Flash Player's Website Storage Settings panel in your Flash Player settings.
• You have choices. You can opt out of receiving behavioral ads if you're uncomfortable with the concept. Just follow the instructions provided: http://www.aboutads.info/choices/