Purpose

• Monitoring the things that users are writing and viewing on your computer is a way to check up on the users, whether they are employees or your children. If you suspect that your computer is being used for inappropriate reasons, from pornography to time-wasting, knowing the history can give solid evidence. For employers who want to increase productivity or prevent leaking of confidential information, monitoring has significant financial benefits. Computer monitoring helps prevent dangerous or destructive behavior, and can head off problems before they become serious.
  
  

History

• The easiest way to see what users have viewed on your computer is to check the browser history. Unless a user has cleared the history, you will see a full list of the websites and search results each person visited. Private browser sessions, including Google Chrome Incognito or Safari Private Browsing, do not keep track of history or Web cookies. If you are tracking the Web use of a person who has a Google account, you may be able to find the search and Web history. From the Google Web History page, you have access to the items that are enabled for tracking; the person must be signed in for you to view the list.
  
  

Temporary Internet Files

• If you do not have access to a Web history or if it has been cleared, you can look through the files on your computer to get an idea of recent activity. A search for for the "Temporary Internet Files" folder on your hard drive will bring up a folder that contains clues to Internet activity, including downloaded files and images, and Web page caches. Because many browsers store a version of recently visited websites, you can look through them to get a partial history.
  
  

Monitoring Program

• Computer monitoring programs record everything that happens on your computer, from logging keystrokes to taking periodic screen captures. Most programs run in the background without users knowing, which is useful when you want to monitor your computer secretly. Depending on the program you choose, the data logs may be saved to a file on your computer or to a website. Computer monitoring is particularly useful when you want to track computer use for specific criteria: at particular times of day or for individual users, for example. For a comprehensive log, try a program such as Refog, which will record everything from what users type to the files they open.