... it is important to keep your children safe from strangers, and your conversations safe from snoopers. Below you'll find many applications to help in this regard..

The Big 4 all have the option of listing your personal details, in public directories and via your profile. Check and see what it says, and whether you wish for it to be available to others (many people enter fictious details just in case...)

• AIM 5.5 - select My AIM > Edit Profile.
• ICQ - select Main > View/Change My Details.
• MSN - select Tools > Options > Personal and click Edit Profile. If you don't have a profile, it will prompt you to create one. To remove an existing one, click on the Clear button
• Yahoo - select Contacts > Profile > View My Profile or Messenger > My Profiles

• PC Bloodhound - monitor and log all chat conversations made on AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, and ICQ 2000.
  
  
• Omniquad Messenger Chat Recorder - supports Yahoo and MSN messengers. You can record the conversation along with the emoticons. Every new conversation logged and every password attempt is also recorded. The logs captured are tamper proof. It can be operated in two modes - overt and covert.
  
  
• MessengerLog4 is designed for and fully compatible with MSN Messenger 6.x. It can automatically record everything including the emotcions, color and fonts from your MSN Messenger. MessengerLog can also record the messages in a completely hidden mode, just like a spy.
  
  
• CryptGate - restrict IM by users, groups, and time of day. Encrypt and log IM conversations. Supports both AIM and MSN Messenger
  
  
• ICQ Activity Logger - records all ICQ chat windows activity. Does the job silently and leaves no traces.

• X-IM is a free secure Instant Messaging and Chat application. Communicate securely with anyone using full 256-bit Strong Encryption. There is no need to purchase a separate security certificate or anything else. The X-IM software will generate your own private keys when you install, and you can start communicating immediately with confidence
  
  
• BitWise is the first encrypted, direct-connect instant messenger offering the same features on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. No ads or spyware, but loaded with features: fast file sharing, "tabbed" interface, automatic encryption of messages and files, whiteboards, XML and plaintext logging, invisibility, offline messaging and more.
  
  
• Seclude - uses 2048-bit RSA encryption. Pretty basic, but totally secure and free!
  
  
• Akonix L7 Enterprise - an IM management solution that is deployed at the network perimeter to manage employee access to Instant Messaging while protecting against IM vulnerabilities — bringing security, management, reporting & regulatory compliance to unsupervised and uncontrolled IM across all public IM networks and enterprise IM systems.
  
  
• AIM 5.5 and higher - if you have a personal digital certificate, select MY AIM > Edit Option > Edit Preferences, choose Security at the bottom of the Category list, and click Add

• YahELite is an unofficial, free, highly efficient and comfortable anti-spam chat client that filters out spam bots, clone bots, abusive PMs, flood text, repeated postings and other forms of spam. It also protects you from 'boot codes', 'sound bombs' and other mischief. YahELite runs on Windows™ and Linux WINE.
  
  
• Y!TunnelPro provides additional features to Yahoo! Messenger including enhanced privacy, better connections to voice servers, endless ignore bin, font and style filtering, and spam blocking. It also provides protection against abusive and malicious chatroom activity.
  
  
• Zone Labs IMsecure Pro is the first comprehensive instant messaging (IM) security solution for any program that accesses the most popular IM services such as AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger. IMsecure Pro ensures that IM conversations are private and secure, protecting PCs and valuable personal information from spammers, identity thieves, hackers and predators who exploit vulnerable IM connections. Download it now
  
  
• ICQ Guard - protects from ICQ bombs and ICQ-oriented viruses. Supports all versions of ICQ, resides in system tray and does the job automatically. Runs under all versions of Windows.

MessenPass is a password recovery tool that reveals the passwords of the following instant messenger applications:

• MSN Messenger
• Windows Messenger (In Windows XP)
• Yahoo Messenger
• ICQ Lite 4.x/2003
• AOL Instant Messenger (only older versions)
• AOL Instant Messenger/Netscape 7
• Trillian
• Miranda
• GAIM