We all know old browsers like IE6 , Firefox 2, Google Chrome 3 and their older versions are just hazardous. By using them, you risk your online data, or even risk yourself; your privacy and everything you do on the internet.
One of the ‘riskiest’ place is social-networking sites. Not all social-networking are bad and trusting these less-harmful sites is just cool, you know.
There are hundreds of software to control usage of social-networking sites. But this one will take your heads off! Want to know the name? It’s famous one. It is Microsoft Internet Explorer 6. IE6 has also got the label of the “worst web browser” in the past. Check out this funny usage of IE.
IE6 as a web limiter
Well, all you need to do is install IE6. Most of the social-networking sites will automatically block you. Facebook will do for sure. Some companies do use IE6 for the same purpose. The admins do not upgrade their browsers so that the employees wouldn’t get access to social-networking sites. Facebook, as of now will ask you to upgrade your browser and will not allow you to login if you are on IE6. Orkut will too suggest you to upgrade to latest ones. Google Apps does not support old browsers any more effective March 2010.
Security adviser at Microsoft admits the fact that IE6 can limit the web. If you install a copy of WinXP, all you need not do is upgrade your browser. But, please be aware of the above said risks before installing or using IE6. It was funny noticing ‘Internet Explorer’ changing to ‘Internet Exploiter’ in a system running WinXP.
Other old browsers
There has no much risk reported on other older browsers like that have been reported for IE6. But still, it is always better to keep out of them.
I was harassed of the “Aw, Snap!” error brought up by Chome 3 every time I open a webpage based on Java or some webkit based ones. That nasty thing forced me to use Firefox for a while. But, Firefox made me down due to its consumption of large amount of time to open a window, so after Chrome 4 released, I dumped Firefox and was back to Chrome. But many people still like to use Firefox.
What can we do?
Simple, if you are just someone, wanting to access social-networking sites and most of the risk-free sites, all you need to do is upgrade to a latest browser. You can always download the latest version of the browsers from their respective homepages. Those maybe Chrome, Firefox or IE. I personally recommend Google Chrome. Also get yourself a good antivirus and keep it updated for the side of better safety.
Image Credit : Flickr
I hope you can do your best with the latest web-browsers. Do drop in your comments on old browsers and the risk they produce on surfing. Also do comment on your favorite web-browser.
4 Comments
I agree about old browsers being unsafe. But want to correct you at one point. Facebook opens in IE6. The laptop given to me by my company has Windows XP with IE6. Though I always use my personal laptop which has all the updated browsers, just to check this one I tried opening Facebook in IE6. And voila!! it opens, without showing any warning.
The screenshot that you are referring to is itself 1.5 years old :P.
Btw orkut did show the warning message. 🙂
I however agree with you about the security risks posed by these old browsers.
I have read a news item about how IE6 was used by some companies as a way to automatically ban people from Facebook. This was probably because many of the games being played on Facebook needs a browser which is higher than IE6.
Well, I did study orkut and facebook on many browsers. I got that screenshot when I simply searched flickr. Anyway, this post was more about safety concerns on old browsrs. So I studied social-networkings only on them.
Actually many older browsers are actually safer to use than modern equivalents because they are not targeted and two many times are simply incompatible with the virus or exploit and therefor immune, thats why old MacOS users can rest peacefully knowing they can’t get a virus without really working at it anyway.