Copyright 1999 Times Publishing Company
St.
Petersburg Times
September 21, 1999, Tuesday
SECTION: CITRUS TIMES; GUEST COLUMN; Pg. 3
DISTRIBUTION: CITRUS TIMES
LENGTH: 669 words
HEADLINE:
Protecting your privacy on the Internet
BYLINE: Dorothy
Teuton
BODY:
There is so much to do in
cyberspace. You could visit a museum, get the latest news, enter a chat room,
learn about parenting, purchase a bond or e-mail a letter. Once you've started,
your curiosity and interests will lead you to even more sites.
When you
enter a Web site, look for a privacy policy. It should answer your questions
about accuracy, access, security and control of personal information, as well as
how information will be used and whether it will be provided to third parties.
Information is gathered on the Internet both directly and indirectly. When you
enter a chat room discussion, leave a message on a bulletin board, enter a
contest or order a product, you directly and knowingly send information into
cyberspace. Often a Web site may require information from you as the
"toll" you pay to enter. Data can also be gathered indirectly, without your
knowledge.
For example, your travels around a Web site can be tracked by
a file called a "cookie" left on your computer's hard drive on your first
visit to that site. When you revisit the site, it will open the cookie file and
access the stored information so it will know how to greet you. You may even be
welcomed by name. If you linger over a product or subject that interests you, it
will be noted, and soon, you may see ads on the site that look as if they've
been custom-tailored for you. As Web sites gather information directly and
indirectly, they can collect a complete data picture of you and your family.
This kind of information is valuable to marketers because it helps them target
their sales efforts.
It's difficult to be anonymous once you've ventured
into cyberspace. Expect to receive unsolicited advertising, e-mail, even
personalized ads that seem to know you. This so-called junk e-mail can be a
nuisance, even a scam. If it looks questionable, simply delete it.
As
with anywhere else, cyberspace has its share of con men. Guard your password. It
is the key to your account. People who work for your service provider should
never request your password. If they do, refuse the request and report the
incident to your service provider immediately.
When shopping online, be
careful about revealing your Social Security or credit card number and shipping
address. Many Web sites scramble or encrypt information like
that to ensure the safety of your personal data. Look at the
privacy policy for information about how the Web sites you
visit scramble or encrypt your personal data. This technology is improving
rapidly, but still is not foolproof.
Concerns about loss of privacy are
not new. But the computer's ability to gather and sort vast amounts of data and
the Internet's ability to distribute it globally, magnify those concerns.
To a large extent, privacy is up to you when you enter a Web site. Sites
that are most sensitive to your privacy concerns not only have privacy policies
but also display them clearly and conspicuously, offer you a choice to share
your personal information or restrict its use and explain how your information
will be used.
Credit rights and other consumer protection laws apply to
Internet transactions. If you have a problem, tell a law enforcement or consumer
protection agency.
Be aware that when you enter a chat room, others can
know you are there and can even e-mail you once you start chatting. To remain
anonymous, you may want to use a nickname for your screen name.
You can
be defrauded online. If an offer is too hard to believe, don't believe it.
People aren't always who they seem to be. Be careful about giving out
credit card numbers, Social Security number, phone number and home address.
E-mail is relatively private, but not completely. Don't put anything
into an electronic message that you wouldn't want to see posted on a
neighborhood bulletin board.
- Dorothy Teuton is executive director of
the Suncoast Better Business Federation, 6460 W Gulf to Lake Highway, Crystal
River. Call 795-3547 in Citrus County or 307-9222 in Marion County.
LOAD-DATE: September 21, 1999
