Know how to 'erase' your browser history?

Was Larry Ellison (Oracle CEO) right when he said "Your privacy is an illusion"?

Do we have a right to privacy that ensures that even the 'deepest' investigation of our computers ensures our surfing/electronic activites remain private?

We are set to find out what the US courts think in a classic David/Goliath battle as Michael Crooker takes on Microsoft and HP, who he claims, failed to protect his privacy by allowing FBI agents to recover his browsing history after he had deleted the History files.

Microsoft says it makes no claims about erasing the internet history tracks; deletion not being the same as erasure.

Whatever you may feel about the reasons Mr Crooker was detained and his PC investigated (sale of illegally modified firearms), many will feel that the likes of Microsoft and HP should do more to explain to their customers exactly what their software does and does not do.

Take a look at guidance from the UK Information Commissioner on the use of 'cookies' and the legal requirements of the Privacy & Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR);

"The mechanism by which a subscriber or user may exercise their right to refuse continued storage should be prominent, intelligible and readily available to all, not just the most computer literate or technically aware. Where the relevant information is included in a privacy policy, for example, the policy should be clearly signposted at least on those pages where a user may enter a website. The relevant information should appear in the policy in a way that is suitably prominent and accessible and it should be worded so that all users and subscribers are able to easily understand and act upon it"

Notice the emphasis on making the technology side comprehensible to ALL.  When a piece of software, like Internet Explorer, is capable of processing sensistive data e.g. information relating to sex, sexuality or sexual health, shouldn't the risks be explained to the customer in a way that is  ... prominent, intelligible and readily available to all, not just the most computer literate or technically aware?