EPIC Criticizes Top 100 Sites' Privacy 3
EPIC,
the Electronic Privacy Information Center,
has released
"Surfer Beware III,"
a report that claims "few of the 100 most popular shopping websites provide adequate privacy protections for consumers." It's apparently the combination of collecting personal information and delivering
profilers' cookies that has them the most concerned. Catchiest quote: "someone other than Santa is reading our Christmas list. These profiling companies know when we are buying and when we are online."
This is sad, real sad... (read this) (Score:2)
Rob, Jeff, all of you. This is sad. One post on a potentially important issue. Again, another article passes by unnoticed. How many have been missed in the BSD? YRO (one of the more important ones?)? How many will be missed in your new Science section?
You really, REALLY, need to make the sections more prominent. And by default, make ALL articles show up on the main page, and let people hide the ones they don't want. My opinion? Replace the Features Slashbox with the Sections. Make it stand out. Most of what's in the features box is rehashed, old info (Hellmouth, Geeks in Space), and hasn't been touched since August (Update: 08/26 01:48 by hemos).
Neglect is bad, but unintentional neglect is worse, because you don't often realize it's happening.
What I miss here ... (Score:1)
Industry backed self-regulation has done little to protect online privacy. We believe that legally enforceable standards are necessary to ensure compliance with Fair Information Practices. And new techniques for anonymity are necessary to protect online privacy.
Self regulation seldom works and in this case there is far too much money in it. What happens to a site or corporation that intentionally violates peoples privacy? What happened to M$ after this Windows-ID buisness? Real Networks after their Data-Collection came to light?
I really miss twho things in this article:
1.) They forgot to mention that once personal data and profiles are 'in the wild' they are impossible to withdraw. If you favorite porn site (Oh, sorry, forgot YOU dont have one
2.) A lot of people are worried about privacy. Nobody (OK, very few) will voluntarily generate and publish a profile about virtually every aspect of their private Life. But you don't have to. If you move around the 'net long enough the end effect, if not tightly controlled, will be the same. A small dribble of information here, a small bit there is all it takes. Information is a valuable item and it is traded in very high volume. Those small bits and pieces, every lapse, every mistake will be collected and matched up. It takes time but at the end your profile will be there.
Controlling and limiting collecting of personal data is one, undoubtably important, thing. But it is even more important to controll and limit the trading of data. OK, I can already hear the screams
Ciao, Peter
Re:This is sad, real sad... (read this) (Score:1)
I happend more or less by accident over this. Note that I am still rather new to slashdot and don't know about all of its features yet. Hint: Up to a few minutes ago I didn't even know that not all articles show up on the main page. This is sad, especially in this case.
And _yes_ this is one of my most favorite topics.
Ciao, Peter