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The intricate world of the Web
Federal agency looks at privacy on the Internet
June 10, 1997
Web posted at: 3:42 p.m. EDT (1942 GMT)From San Francisco Bureau Chief Greg Lefevre
SAN FRANCISCO (CNN) -- Studies show personal privacy is rapidly becoming road kill on the information superhighway.
"There's a great deal of risk when you go online," says Yael Li-Ron of PC World magazine.
Some of that risk involves personal information. Knowledge about you and your personal life is often scooped up, repackaged and sold without your knowledge.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center surveyed the 100 busiest Internet sites and found about half were automatically collecting personal or computer data about the people who visited the sites. Only a third of the sites mentioned they were doing it.
"If a person goes to the Web site and gives up his or her name, that person is not necessarily going to know how that information will be used, or if there will be any safeguards to protect that person's privacy, and we think that's a problem," says Marc Rotenberg, director of the center.
Nearly every time you go to a Web site, your computer sends in information. In some cases, that information is as simple as what type of computer and software you use.
But your computer can also be queried about where it's been lately, and what it was doing there.
Right now the only safeguard is to buy and install privacy software.
"We have freedom of the press, we have freedom of speech and certainly on the Internet you have a right not to have where you're going tracked," says Olivia Dillan, a vice president for encryption software developer Pretty Good Privacy Inc.
But often you are.
"If you've visited the Playboy site and then gone on to the CNN site and then the PC World site," says Yael Li-Ron, "somewhere along the line that information is being tracked."
This week's workshops by the Federal Trade Commission will look at these sorts of issues, and could conclude that no legislation is needed -- for adults. But they could come to a different conclusion altogether regarding children.
"There might be a role in government protecting kids' privacy," said Christine Varney of the Federal Trade Commission.
Varney also foresaw a possible need for government intervention "when it comes to third party collection and sale of information about individuals."
Related stories:
- Trade Commission begins online privacy workshop - June 10, 1997
- From privacy to spamming, Web survey probes users' concerns - December 11, 1996
- Guarding privacy tougher as Internet expands - September 19, 1996
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
- "Public Workshop on Consumer Information Privacy"
- American Civil Liberties Union: Cyber-liberties
- Electronic Privacy Information Center - established to focus public attention on emerging civil liberties issues relating to the National Information Infrastructure.
- Internet Privacy Coalition - formed to promote privacy and security on the Internet through widespread public availability of strong encryption and the relaxation of export controls on cryptography.
- EPIC Alert - online newsletter of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, DC. The newsletter is bi-weekly and covers issues related to privacy and civil liberties in the information age.
- Internet Privacy Law - An analysis of legal issues associated with privacy and anonymity.
- TRUSTe Home Page - coalition to protect privacy & promote security online.
- Privacy in the Information Age: The Web Magazine - A look into what personal information is available and to whom.
Related newsgroup:
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- alt.privacy - privacy issues in cyberspace.
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