algorithms can't always be perfect.) Keep in mind that Firefox offers two distinct form-filling features that function similarly but are controlled by different settings. The first, which I call automatic form filling, helps you fill out general form fields such as address, ZIP code, and birthday. The second, called automatic login filling, helps you log in to sites by remembering usernames and passwords and associating them together. For example, if you have multiple Amazon.com accounts, this feature remembers and suggests your login names and automatically fills in the correct password for the one you choose. Here's a brief example to illustrate automatic form filling in action: Say you're registering for an eBay account. Like many other Web sites, eBay asks for a physical address, an e-mail address, and other information when you're registering. Ordinarily, filling this out would be a lengthy process. But with automatic form filling, Firefox helps you re-enter information you've entered in the past, as illustrated in Figure 8-1. REMEMBER An online form doesn't necessarily have to resemble a typical form that asks for name, address, and phone number. Sometimes form fields are used for other purposes, such as search engines (see Figure 8-2). In general, any Web site that offers a text box and some sort of Submit button is using an online form, and Firefox saves the information you enter to make suggestions in the future. Figure 8-2: Automatic form filling helps you repeat common searches at your favorite search engine. Clearing saved form information Real-world experience indicates that convenience often comes at the expense of privacy. Life would be much easier if everyone carried a national ID card that knows the holder's addresses, food preferences, favorite video rentals, and clothing sizes, but it would also mean that some company knows everything about everyone. Chapter 14 addresses online privacy in depth, but here I talk about it in terms of the form-filling feature. Firefox saves form information directly to your computer, but other people with access to your computer can see it - sometimes inadvertently, if Firefox suggests one of your previous form entries as the person fills out a form. Thus, in Firefox, you draw the line between convenience and privacy by choosing when to clear saved form information and which information to clear. You can also disable the feature entirely, as you discover in the next section. REMEMBER Firefox also remembers phrases you enter into the Search Box to the right of the Location Bar so it can suggest them when you use the Search Box in the future. The form-filling settings I discuss in the following steps also affect saved Search Box entries. For example, clearing saved form information clears the saved Search Box entries as well. To clear all saved form information, follow these steps: 1. 2. Click the Privacy icon at the top of the window that appears. 3. Click the Saved Forms tab. 4. Click the Clear Saved Form Data Now button. The button becomes gray to confirm that Firefox has cleared saved form data, as shown in Figure 8-3. If the button is already gray, Firefox has not yet saved any form information to clear. Figure 8-3: Clearing saved form data. Tip If you clear saved form information and other private information (such as browsing history) frequently, you can use Firefox's Clear Private Data feature to do so more quickly. You can also use the feature to have Firefox clear saved form information automatically each time you exit Firefox. See Chapter 14 for more information.