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Internet
Privacy
Introduction
Privacy has become a major concern on the Internet. The
extraordinary growth of the Internet has created a number of privacy issues that society has never encountered before and
therefore has been slow to address. For example peoplesearch.com
allows anyone to do background searches, asset verification
checks and criminal background checks on any individual
for a $39 to $125 fee. Additionally,
whowhere.com
allows users to order a background check on any individual in
the database for only $39.95. This public record report
includes property ownership, civil judgments, driver's
license physical description and summary of assets.
Privacy issues on the Internet relate to two major
concerns. The first concern is, users’ ability to control the rate, type,
and sequence of the information they view. Spam, or
unsolicited commercial e-mail, is a control concern because it
violates privacy, steals resources, and compares to receiving
a piece of direct mail with postage due. A second concern
relates to the ability of users to address and understand how
organizations collect and use personal information on the
Internet. Many Web sites require visitors to identify
themselves and provide information about their wants and
needs. Some Web sites track visitors’ "footsteps"
through the site by storing a cookie, or identifying string of
text, on their computers. The use of cookies can be an ethical
issue, especially because many users have no idea that this
transfer of information is even occurring. Internet privacy is
an important ethical issue because most organizations engaging
in e-commerce have not yet developed policies and codes of
conduct to encourage responsible behavior.
While there have been international regulatory and
self-regulatory initiatives to address these issues, there is
no global effort to deal with online privacy. The initiatives
that have been developed deal with consumer privacy from
businesses and trade organizations. The following include the
most prominent attempts at self-regulation and improvement of
business ethics as it relates to privacy.
Privacy
& Data-Mining on the Internet is a comprehensive
overview of Privacy on the Internet. This overview
covers recent privacy concerns, self-regulation, the European
Union Data Directive, recent US legislative proposals, Clinton
administration approaches to data privacy and practical
considerations about Internet privacy.
United
States Internet Privacy Laws and the European Community Data
Directive discusses the significant consequences for data
transmission between European countries and the United States
with the passing of the E.U. Data Directive.
Explore the additional information on this site to learn
more about global concern over Internet privacy.
The
DoubleClick Controversy
Internet marketing firm, DoubleClick, recently became
the focal point of concerns over privacy on the
Internet. According to USA Today DoubleClick has
"begun tracking Web users by name and address as they
move from one web site to the next." To read more
about these allegations, DoubleClick's response and pending
lawsuits, visit the following links.
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