Communicator Help: Using Instant Messenger<sup><font size=-1>TM</font></sup> for AOL<sup><font size=-2>®</font></sup> Communicator

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Using Instant Messenger for AOL Communicator

Controlling Privacy & Security

Controlling Your Privacy
Blocking and Unblocking Users
Setting Warnings
Signing & Encrypting Instant Messages

Settings & Preferences:
Privacy Preferences
Security Preferences
Add Certificate
Knock-Knock Message

Controlling Your Privacy

You can set Instant Messenger™ preferences that control who can send you messages and how much information about you other users can have.

To view or change your Privacy preferences:

1. From the Buddy List window, open the MyIM menu and choose Preferences.
2. Click Privacy.
3. Adjust your settings as necessary:
   The left column under Who can contact me specifies which users are allowed to contact you.
   The right column under Who can contact me lets you specify which users you want to block, so they can't contact you.
   The checkboxes near the bottom of the window control what information about your activities users can see, and how you are informed about other users who attempt to contact you.

Related topics:

Privacy Preferences describes the available options in more detail.

Blocking and Unblocking Usersdescribes how to block users from the Buddy List window or from an instant message window.

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Blocking and Unblocking Users

You can block one or more users so they can't send you messages.

This feature is useful if you want to block users who send offensive messages or if you simply do not want to receive messages for a while.

When you block a user, that user appears to be offline in your Buddy List window, and you appear to be offline in that user's Buddy List window.

Blocking remains in effect until you unblock a screen name by removing it from the blocked list under Privacy preferences.

To block a user whose name is displayed in your Buddy List window:

1. Right-click the name of the user you want to block.
2. Choose Block.
3. Click OK.

To block a user directly from an instant message window:

1. In an instant message window for the user you want to block, click the Block button.
2. Click Yes to confirm that you want to block that user.

To block or unblock users from your Privacy preferences:

1. From the Buddy List window, open the MyIM menu and choose Preferences.
2. Click Privacy.
3. In the right column under Who can contact me, you can change your blocking options as follows:
   Block all users: Select this if you do not want to receive messages from anyone.
   Block AIM users only: Select this if you want to receive messages only from other AOL members, and not from people using an AIM screen name.
   Block the users below: Select this if you do not want to receive messages from certain people.

- To add someone to the block list, click Add Name and type his or her screen name.
- To remove someone from the block list, click his or her screen name, then click Remove.

Related topics:

Controlling Your Privacy.

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Setting Warnings

To warn a user who has sent you an offensive message, click Warn in the instant message window in which you received the message.

Warn imposes a warning on the sender, hampering that person's ability to send and receive messages. With frequent warnings, the user will not be able to exchange any messages with anyone. Only after a "cooling off" period can that user send and receive messages again.

When you click Warn, you can choose to impose the warning anonymously. Anonymous warnings are less severe and the user you are warning won't know who issued the warning.

Regarding warnings you send and receive:

- You can issue only one warning for each message someone sends you.
- If a user warns you, consider ending the conversation. Every additional message you send enables that user to warn you again.

A user's warning level is visible to all other users next to the person's name or screen name in the Buddy List window.

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Signing & Encrypting Instant Messages

If you already have a digital certificate, you can set it up for use with Instant Messenger for AOL Communicator. This allows you to digitally sign and encrypt messages sent to any buddies who meet both these criteria:

- They are using a version of Instant Messenger software that supports signing and encryption.
  For example, AIM 5.1 and Instant Messenger for AOL Communicator both support signing and encryption.
- They have valid digital certificates of their own and have configured them correctly for use with Instant Messenger software.

When you are exchanging signed and encrypted messages with someone, a lock icon and the label "Encrypted conversation" appear near the top of the instant message window.

If you do not yet have a digital certificate, you must obtain one before you can send or receive signed and encrypted instant messages.

Related topics:

If you have a certificate, see Getting Started With Identity Manager for details on how to use it with Instant Messenger for AOL Communicator.

If you don't have a certificate, see Getting Your Own Certificate for guidance.

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Privacy Preferences

The Privacy panel of the Instant Messenger preferences window displays the settings that control who can contact you and what they can find out about you while you're logged on.

If you're not already viewing your Privacy preferences, start from the Buddy List window, open the MyIM menu, choose Preferences, and click Privacy.

Who can contact me:

- Allow all users to contact me: Select this if you do not want to restrict others from sending messages to you.
- Allow only users on my Buddy List: Select this to receive messages only from those people currently in your Buddy List window, including Recent Buddies.
- Allow only the users below: Select this to specify the people from whom you will receive messages. Click Add Name and type the screen name for each person you want to add to the list.
- Block all users: Select this if you do not want to receive messages from anyone.
- Block AIM users only: Select this if you want to receive message only from other AOL members, and not from people using an AIM (Internet) screen name.
  Note that screen names for people who have signed on using software such as AIM 5.1 are treated as Internet screen names even if the screen name is associated with a paying AOL member account.
- Block the users below: Select this if you do not want to receive messages from certain people.

- To add someone to the block list, click Add Name and type his or her screen name.
- To remove someone from the block list, click his or her screen name, then click Remove.

Allow users to see how long I've been idle: Select this if you want users who can contact you to see that you've been away from the keyboard (idle), and for how long.

Allow users to see that I'm typing an IM response: Select this if you want users who can contact you to be informed when you are typing a response to a message (assuming their Instant Messenger software supports this feature).

Display a Knock-Knock before showing IMs from Internet users on my Buddy List: Select this if you want to be informed when one of the Internet users in your Buddy List window wants to send you an instant message. (Messages from AOL members continue to appear without a Knock-Knock warning.

As with the blocking option, screen names for people who have signed on using software such as AIM 5.1 are treated as Internet screen names even if the screen name is associated with a paying AOL member account.

For users not on my Buddy List, always show me their names: Select this to help you identify people you receive messages from who aren't in your Buddy List window.

This option also helps you avoid displaying potentially offensive screen names.

Related topic:

Blocking and Unblocking Users describes how to block users from your Buddy List window or from an instant message window.

Signing & Encrypting Instant Messages describes where to find information on using digital certificates.

Knock-Knock Message describes knock-knocks in more detail.

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Security Preferences

Security preferences allow you to specify whether you want your instant messages to be digitally signed and encrypted.

If you're not already viewing your Security preferences, start from the Buddy List window, open the MyIM menu, choose Preferences, and click Security.

Enable security features in Instant Messenger for AOL Communicator: Select this option to turn on digital signing and encryption.

When this option is turned on, only messages sent to buddies whose software supports it will be signed and encrypted.

Before you can send or receive signed and encrypted messages, you must also select your certificates from the two drop-down lists:

- Encryption Certificate
- Signing Certificate

Add Certificate: If you don't have any certificates available, you may be able to click the Add button in this section to obtain one.

However, to take advantage of this service, you or your organization must already be signed up to use AIM security credentials, and the recipients of your instant messages must be using Instant Messenger software that is configured correctly to support signing and encryption.

Import Certificate: If no certificates are listed and you have a certificate backup file available on your hard disk, click Import Certificate to locate and import your stored certificates.

Manage Certificates: Click this button to view and manage your existing certificates.

Refresh Certificates: Click this button to update the list with all your existing certificates.

Related topics:

Signing & Encrypting Instant Messages
Getting Started With Identity Manager
Getting Your Own Certificate
Managing Certificates

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Add Certificate

You see the Add Certificate window when you click the Add button in the Security Preferences panel for Instant Messenger for AOL Communicator.

This method of obtaining a certificate won't work unless you or your organization are signed up to use AIM security credentials. For more information, see http://enterprise.aim.com/products/aim/personalcerts/.

Enter your password as requested in this window to verify your identity, then click OK.

Passwords that can be easily guessed have little value. The password quality meter gives you a rough idea of the relative quality of your password as you type it based on factors such as length and the use of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. For more information, see Using the Password Quality Meter.

If a certificate is available for the screen name you are currently using, your new certificate should show up in the drop-down lists after a few minutes.

Even if you are entitled to obtain a certificate from the AOL service, you can obtain only one per screen name. If you've already obtained one on a different computer (or if you've used AOL® Communicator Identity Manager to delete it from this copy of AOL Communicator), you must import a backup of that certificate so you can use it with the current system. For details, see Getting Started With Identity Manager.

If a certificate isn't available for the screen name you're using, you'll see a message to that effect. In this case you can still obtain a certificate from some other source and use it to send encrypted messages. For details, see Signing & Encrypting Instant Messages.

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Knock-Knock Message

A Knock-Knock message appears when you receive an instant message from a screen name that is associated with an Internet account isn't included in your Buddy List window. Instant messages from screen names for AOL members are displayed immediately, without triggering a Knock-Knock message first.

A Knock-Knock message gives you a chance to decide what you want to do with an instant message before it gets displayed:

Accept: Click this button to accept the message and let it be displayed.
Ignore: Click this button to ignore the message and any other messages from the same screen name during this session (that is, until you sign off and then sign on again).
Block: Click this button to block the user from sending you any messages. After you block a user, that user appears to be offline, and you appear to be offline to that user. You can unblock the user later.

Related topics:

Blocking and Unblocking Users
Privacy Preferences

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The sections in this document that discuss security, encryption, and privacy are provided by AOL for your information only. They may help you take certain steps to protect the privacy and security of your personal information on the Internet. This document does not, however, address all online privacy and security issues, nor does it represent a recommendation by AOL about what constitutes adequate privacy and security protection on the Internet.

© 2002-2003 America Online, Inc. All rights reserved. Trademark Information

Last Updated September 16, 2003