Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
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Choose a nonrevealing, nongender-specific, unprovocative IM screen name (Sweet
Sixteen, 2hot4u, UCLAMBA, all fail this test).
•
Don't send messages you would be embarrassed to have your colleagues or significant
other read.
•
Do not open files or click links in messages from people you do not know.
•
Never send sensitive personal data such as credit card numbers, bank account numbers,
or passwords via IM.
Privacy and Personal Sensing Devices
RFID tags, essentially microchips with antenna, are embedded in many of the products we
buy such as medicine containers, clothing, computer printers, car keys, library books, and
tires. RFID tags generate radio transmissions that if appropriate measures are not taken, can
lead to potential privacy concerns. Once these tags are associated with the individual who
purchased the item, someone can potentially track individuals by the unique identifier as-
sociated with the RFID chip.
Several states have reacted to the potential for abuse of RFID tags by going so far as
passing legislation prohibiting the implantation of RFID chips under people's skin without
their approval.
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Privacy and the Internet
Some people assume that there is no privacy on the Internet and that you use it at your own
risk. Others believe that companies with Web sites should have strict privacy procedures and
be accountable for privacy invasion. Regardless of your view, the potential for privacy invasion
on the Internet is huge. People wanting to invade your privacy could be anyone from criminal
hackers to marketing companies to corporate bosses. Your personal and professional infor-
mation can be seized on the Internet without your knowledge or consent. E-mail is a prime
target, as discussed previously. Sending an e-mail message is like having an open conversation
in a large room—people can listen to your messages. When you visit a Web site on the
Internet, information about you and your computer can be captured. When this information
is combined with other information, companies can know what you read, what products you
buy, and what your interests are.
Most people who buy products on the Web say it's very important for a site to have a
policy explaining how personal information is used, and the policy statement must make
people feel comfortable and be extremely clear about what information is collected and what
will and will not be done with it. However, many Web sites still do not prominently display
their privacy policy or implement practices completely consistent with that policy. The real
issue that Internet users need to be concerned with is—what do content providers want with
their personal information? If a site requests that you provide your name and address, you
have every right to know why and what will be done with it. If you buy something and provide
a shipping address, will it be sold to other retailers? Will your e-mail address be sold on a list
of active Internet shoppers? And if so, you should realize that it's no different than the lists
compiled from the orders you place with catalog retailers. You have the right to be taken off
any mailing list.
A potential solution to some consumer privacy concerns is the screening technology called
the
Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P)
being proposed to shield users from sites that
don't provide the level of privacy protection they desire. Instead of forcing users to find and
read through the privacy policy for each site they visit, P3P software in a computer's browser
will download the privacy policy from each site, scan it, and notify the user if the policy does
not match his preferences. (Of course, unethical marketers can post a privacy policy that does
not accurately reflect the manner in which the data is treated.) The World Wide Web Con-
sortium, an international industry group whose members include Apple, Commerce One,
Ericsson, and Microsoft, is supporting the development of P3P. Version 1.1 of the P3P was
released in February 2006 and can be found at
www.w3.org/TR/2006/WD-P3P11-20060210/
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) was passed by Congress in
October 1998. This act was directed at Web sites catering to children, requiring them to post
Platform for Privacy
Preferences (P3P)
A screening technology that shields
users from Web sites that don't
provide the level of privacy
protection they desire.
