PRIVACY & IDENTITY
SITES
Anonymous Communications on the Internet
"A project that addresses the effects of anonymous and pseudonymous communications on the Internet," by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Beyond Concern: Understanding Net Users' Attitudes About Online Privacy
Results and analysis of a survey in which the researchers attempted to determine the nature of users' concerns regarding privacy. Includes statistics on users' willingness to provide specfic types of information under specific circumstances.
The Center for Democracy and Technology
The CDT aims to promote democracy in the digital age. Their focus is on privacy and freedom of expression.
Children in Cyberspace
A discussion of online marketing aimed at children, and "objectionable" material which children may gain access to, such as pornography, hate speech and profanity.
Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's rules regarding the information websites can collect from children, and the consent they must get from parents. Rules take effect April 21, 2000. (PDF format.)
Electronic Privacy Information Center
Home site for EPIC, a Washington, DC-based organization that works on protecting privacy and spotlighting emerging civil liberty issues.
EPIC Bill Track: Tracking Privacy, Speech, and Cyber-Liberties Bills
A list of, and links to the full text of, bills in Congress related to privacy, speech, and cyber-liberties.
Georgetown Internet Privacy Policy Study
An examination of commercial websites' use of privacy policies, initiated by the private sector, and reported to the Federal Trade Commission. Most of it is in PDF format.
Hideaway.Net - Security, Privacy, Anti-Virus, Linux
Texts and links concerning security, privacy, and associated topics.
Howard Rheingold on Multi-user Dungeons and Alternate Identities
Chapter 5 of Howard Rheingold's book The Virtual Community deals with online identity.
Invoking Law as a Basis for Identity in Cyberspace
This article discusses the de facto laws of the Internet, the laws that real-world institutions try to place on it, and how the identity of participants affect and are affected by these factors.
Opt-Out | Get Off the Lists!
Tools provided by the Center for Democracy & Technology to opt out of various lists maintained by online portals, as well as off-line merchants and banks.
Privacy Law and Issues, Especially Computer Related
Links to sites and articles dealing with issues of consumer and individual privacy in cyberspace and elsewhere.
PrivacyChoices
DoubleClick's website meant to clarify the advertising company's privacy practices and issues of privacy on the Internet.
RECA
Website for the Responsible Electronic Communications Alliance, an online marketing coalition hoping to bring about industry self-regulation of privacy.
ARTICLES
Europe: Time to Crunch the Cookies?
A proposed amendment to a European Commission law on privacy would require websites to get the explicit, informed consent of users before placing or reading cookies on the user's computer. (11/12/2001 at ZDNet)
Accounting Companies Tackle Online Privacy Concerns
Internet companies are hiring old-world consultancies like PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young to audit their privacy policies and practices, much as the firms audit financial information and management practices. (9/18/2000 at News.com)
Administration Bias Alleged In Carnivore Review Team
The ACLU is accusing the U.S. Justice Department of "rigging an inside job" in choosing the members of the Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute (IITRI) who will review Carnivore. (10/4/2000 at NewsBytes)
Aliases Subject of Internet Libel Case
In a federal trial, jurors fined Dr. Jonathan R. Oppenheimer $675,000 for anonymously making libelous statements about another doctor; it may be the first time such a large libel award has been given based on an anonymous Internet message. (12/15/2000 at The New York Times)
Amazon Explains When It May Share Data on Clients in New Privacy Policy
Amazon.com has changed its privacy policy and alerted customers that it may sell data on its customers if the company itself is acquired. (9/1/2000 at MSNBC)
Amazon Facing FTC Probe
Amazon is the target of two invasion of privacy lawsuits and an informat FTC probe, based on actions carried out by its subsidiary Alexa. (2/8/2000 at 15 Seconds)
Anonymizer Launches Browser Privacy Tool
Anonymizer has released a free plugin for Internet Explorer which will let users browse anonymously, through Anonymizer's proxy servers; it can't be used to visit secure (SSL) sights, though. (8/7/2001 at The Industry Standard)
Anonymous Surfer Sues Yahoo Over Privacy
Aquacool_2000, an "anonymous" poster on Yahoo message boards, is suing the portal for revealing his identity to AnswerThink, a company that subpoenaed Yahoo for the information, without notifying him of the subpoena. (5/12/2000 at 15 Seconds)
Antivirus Firms: FBI Loophole Is Out of Line
Anti-virus software companies including Symantec and Network Associates say they won't modify their programs to allow the FBI's "Magic Lantern" software to infect users' computers, and that they haven't been asked by the government to do so. (12/11/2001 at ZDNet)
As Public Records Go Online, Some Say They're Too Public
Privacy advocates are concerned about websites that publish public information like criminals' and witnesses' addresses, voter registration information, etc. - information previously protected by "practical obscurity." (8/24/2001 at The New York Times)
Big Brother -- or Your Company -- Is Watching You
Some employees still don't realize that their companies have both the right and technology to track their workers' email and Web use. (8/3/2000 at Salon.com)
Big Brother Lifetime Award Goes To Microsoft
The Big Brother Awards 2002 in Germany has awarded Microsoft a Lifetime Achievement Award. (10/26/2002 at Slashdot.org)
Bin Laden Inquiry Was Hindered by F.B.I. E-Mail Tapping
According to a memo unearthed by a FOIA request made by EPIC, the FBI had to throw out email between members of Osama bin Laden's network intercepted by Carnivore because Carnivore retained non-target information. (5/29/2002 at The New York Times)
Bitter Debate on Privacy Divides Two Experts
Security expert Richard M. Smith has discovered that software developed by Alexa, an Amazon subsidiary, occasionally "passes on" names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses from a user's computer without the user's knowledge or consent. (12/30/1999 at The New York Times)
Bobbing for Hooligans on Web
After police in London posted pictures of rioters to a website, they managed to arrest eight suspects identified by site visitors. (11/1/1999 at Wired News)
Can John Doe Stay Anonymous?
Civil-liberties advocates are disappointed that a recent libel suit against four anonymous posters to Yahoo message boards did not go to trial. (2/21/2001 at Wired News)
Can the EU Preserve Web Privacy in England?
The UK passed two acts - one that gives law enforcement power to snoop on electronic communication, one that affirms UK citizens' right to privacy - on the same day in July; activists hope the EU will pressure the UK into protecting citizen privacy. (10/6/2000 at The Industry Standard)
Carnivore: A System Admin's Concerns
A Unix sysadmin argues that Carnivore is no more dangerous than a combination of tcpdump and Perl. (5/29/2001 at O'Reilly Network)
Chaos Hackers Seek Order
Members of the Chaos Computer Club think the Y2K scare might help the world by emphasizing the degree to which technology is integral to the way the modern world works. (12/29/2000 at Wired News)
Congress Wants Privacy Commission
Two congressmen recently introduced a bill calling for the formation of a federal privacy commission that would examine the state of privacy laws and report to Congress within 18 months. (3/15/2000 at Wired News)
Consumers Fight Back, Anonymously
New technologies that allow Net citizens to surf and exchange information anonymously are changing the typical "more technology = less privacy" equation. (6/26/2000 at 15 Seconds)
Consumers Will Provide Information for Personalization
A series of recent user surveys suggests that over half of users are willing to divulge personal information for use in targeted advertising, as long as they maintain control. (11/8/1999 at internet.com)
Control Your Identity or Microsoft and Intel Will
Jon Udell shows how we could use existing technology to achieve many of the same goals that Microsoft wants to solve with Palladium; but argues that the ordinary consumer isn't motivated to do so. (7/8/2002 at O'Reilly Network)
Court Ruling Big Win for Net Privacy
A federal judge has dismissed 2TheMart.com's request that InfoSpace reveal the identities of anonymous posters to InfoSpace's chat rooms, who 2TheMart says manipulated their stock. (4/26/2001 at Seattle Times)
Cursor Software Tracks Customers
Computer consultant Richard Smith discovered that Comet Systems' cursor-altering software tracks web users' surfing habits across sites. (11/30/1999 at USA Today)
'Database Nation:' Big Browser's watching
A look at the arguments in Simson Garfinkel's book "Database Nation," in which he encourages examination of our inevitable loss of privacy. (2/9/2000 at USA Today)
David Brin on Privacy
Slashdot discussion of David Brin's "Transparent Society" idea, in which a lack of citizen privacy would be accompanied with much greater citizen oversight of governments and corporations. (2/14/2002 at Slashdot.org)
Defending Privacy Snooping
Marty Abrams, vice president of credit-report firm Experian, defends data miners by saying that the free flow of users' information is what fuels the U.S. economy. (12/3/1999 at Wired News)
DoubleClick Hires Private Eyes
DoubleClick has hired two major figures in the world of consumer privacy advocacy, New York City Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jules Polonetsky and former New York attorney general Bob Abrams to oversee its privacy efforts. (3/8/2000 at The Industry Standard)
DoubleClick Sued Over Privacy
DoubleClick Inc. is being sued for their plan to connect users' online browsing and purchasing behavior with their real-world identities and behavior. (1/28/2000 at ZDNet)
DoubleClick Wins for Losing
At the Computers, Freedom and Privacy 2000 conference, Big Brother awards were awarded to privacy invaders DoubleClick, U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley, and credit reporting corporation Transunion. (4/7/2000 at Wired News)
DoubleClick’s Privacy Gamble
Online advertising giant DoubleClick has set up the Abacus Alliance, through which they will correlate consumer profiles (name, address, etc.) with online browsing behavior. (1/26/2000 at MSNBC)
E-Mail Privacy Remains Elusive
Though it's gotten easier to use recently, few Internet users use PGP to encrypt their email; people in the legal and medical fields, among others, don't want to deal with unencrypted email. (3/11/2001 at Wired News)
E-mergers Trigger Privacy Worries
As online companies merge, questions arise as to what happens to the consumer information they have accumulated, and whether the acquiring companies are bound by the privacy policies of the acquired. (1/23/2000 at Mercury Center)
EBay Warns Glitch May Bring Unwanted E-Mail
EBay has angered many of its users by emailing them marketing messages and promotional materials, though the users told the auction site that they didn't want the email. (1/10/2001 at The Washington Post)
Echelon 'Proof' Discovered
Declassified National Security Agency documents confirm the existence of Echelon, a global surveillance network. (1/26/2000 at Wired News)
The End of Anonymity?
As she released a document detailing unlawful online conduct, Attorney General Janet Reno complained about how anonymity online hampers law enforcement efforts. (3/9/2000 at Wired News)
EPIC Blasts Yahoo for Identifying Posters
When faced with subpoenas requesting identities of anonymous posters, Yahoo tends to comply. (11/10/1999 at The Industry Standard)
EPIC Terminates Relationship With Amazon.com
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has stopped participating in Amazon.com's affiliate program, citing concerns over Amazon's privacy policy. (9/13/2000 at ZDNet)
EPIC to FBI: While We're Still Young, Please
A recap of EPIC's request for information on the FBI's email-tapping program, Carnivore, and a federal judge's order that the Department of Justice reply quickly. (8/3/2000 at The Industry Standard)
EU May Outlaw Cookies
Slashdot discussion of a misleading news article regarding the EU, cookies, and privacy. (10/31/2001 at Slashdot.org)
An Expert in Computer Security Finds His Life Is a Wide-Open Book
A group of nine investigators unearthed a disturbingly large amount of information on a security expert - including birth certificate, social security number, and scannable signature - in a two-month challenge. (12/13/1999 at The New York Times)
F.T.C. Plans to Abandon New Bills on Privacy
The FTC says it will stop pushing for new legislation to protect citizen privacy, and instead will work on enforcing current privacy laws. (10/3/2001 at The New York Times)
FBI Software Cracks Encryption Wall
The FBI is developing software, called "Magic Lantern," which would spread to a user's computer as a virus, possibly through an email attachment; once there, it would log the keystrokes on the computer, and send the information back to the FBI. (11/20/2001 at MSNBC)
FBI Uneasy About Plan To Deregulate Fast Net
Following the FCC's deregulation-speeding ruling that DSL and cable-modem services are information, not telecommunications, services, the FBI fears it won't have the authority to spy on users' behavior online. Wiretap advocates vs. deregulation advocates. (7/8/2002 at USA Today)
A Federal Privacy Commission? That's Right
A federal privacy commission, similar to independent privacy boards sometimes set up by private companies, may be able to balance citizen privacy with national security and law enforcement concerns. (10/18/2001 at Business Week)
Free Speech or Cyber-Slander?
Anonymous online individuals accused of libel usually have had their identities revealed readily by website owners such as Yahoo and AOL; but current lawsuits may increase protection for anonymous speech. (2/29/2000 at The Boston Globe)
FTC Cracks Down on Kid's Privacy Offenders
A year after the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) went into effect, the Federal Trade Commission is fining the companies behind Girlslife.com, Bigmailbox.com, and Insidetheweb.com for violating it. (4/19/2001 at ZDNet)
FTC Panel Belabors Access, Security Issues
The 40-member Advisory Committee on Online Access and Security, an FTC-appointed committee, made little progress in its first meeting beyond creating subcommittees to investigate issues of privacy and user security online. (2/4/2000 at The Industry Standard)
FTC Weighs In on Kid Privacy
The US Federal Trade Commission has released rules governing the steps US-based websites must take before obtaining information from children. The rules take effect April 21, 2000. (10/20/1999 at Wired News)
Government Sites Solicit Kids' Personal Info
Numerous federal websites are violating COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) by collecting information from children. (10/6/2000 at USA Today)
Greenfield Online: Net and Email Monitoring Now Standard
A survey of IT managers and corporate Net users indicates that 42% of managers have filtering software in place; three-quarters say that foltering software should be used in the workplace. (6/1/2001 at NUA Internet Surveys)
Group Charges Government Agencies Trade Personal Data
According to online think-tank privacilla.org, federal government departments - including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Health Care Financing Administration, and the Social Security Administration - routinely share information about U.S. citizens. (3/12/2001 at NewsBytes)
Hail to Privacy at Confab
Due to poor weather conditions, a poor hotel, and poor management, th 2001 Computers, Freedom and Privacy (CFP) conference started poorly; but, though the tutorials did not go as planned, the first day of the conference was still useful. (3/7/2001 at Wired News)
Hearing on Privacy in the Commercial World
Marc Rotenberg's testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection, regarding the private sector's desire for self-regulation of online privacy. (3/1/2001 at Electronic Privacy Information Center)
High-tech Titans Put the Squeeze on Privacy Regs
A coalition of technology-oriented companies is campaigning against privacy legislation, arguing that protecting citizen privacy would end up costing consumers money and not work well as technological solutions. (3/13/2001 at ZDNet)
IM Users: Your Boss Is Watching
Corporations are turning towards business-oriented instant messaging platforms, like AOL's AIM Enterprise Gateway, to monitor and record employee instant messages. (11/11/2002 at Wired News)
Internet Ad Firm Clarifies Privacy Policy
In response to criticism to its plan to more closely track web surfers, DoubleClick is unveiling several new privacy initiatives, hiring a chief privacy officer, and will require its client sites to reveal that they are serving DoubleClick ads. (2/14/2000 at Fox News)
Internet Users Say 'No Thanks' To Personal Questions
According to a Yankelovich Partners survey, 46 percent of online users think the government should do more to regular privacy; 79 percent leave websites when asked for personal information. (8/17/2000 at TechWeb)
The Internet's 'Living Treasure'
Richard Smith has discovered, and publicized, privacy violations perpetrated by a number of software companies, including Microsoft and Real Networks. (11/2/1999 at Wired News)
It's Not Big Brother, It's Customer Service
New technology lets customer service representatives for a website watch people browse the site and step in when someone looks like they need help. (1/27/2000 at The New York Times)
Judge Protects Web-Posters' Anonymity
Judge Kenneth C. MacKenzie recently upheld a foursome of anonymous posters' right to privacy, deciding that a software company about which the posters made negative comments could not demand the posters' identities from Yahoo. (11/30/2000 at NewsBytes)
Lawmakers Urge Legislating Privacy Protections
Representatives Rick Boucher and Bob Goodlatte, both Republican congressmembers from Virginia, want Congress to pass minimal privacy legislation this year, to avoid heavy-handed legislation next year. (9/14/2000 at TechWeb)
Leave Me Alone
PC Magazine reviews software for helping you use the Internet anonymously - browsers, cookie managers, anonymous surfing services, etc. (1/3/2001 at PC Magazine Online)
Linking Records Raises Risks
The U.S. General Account Office (GAO) has released a report, Record Linkage and Privacy, that raises concerns regarding linking people's data from multiple database sources, and the erosion of privacy this can create. (4/20/2001 at Wired News)
Mano a Mano With John McCain
A Congressional hearing on three bills dealing with privacy online clarifies important distinctions between opt-out and opt-in privacy, and a grey area where privacy shouldn't be sacrosanct. (10/6/2000 at Salon.com)
Mich. Moves on Web Privacy
Michigan's Attorney General has asked 8 web companies (including ETrade) that sell information about site visitors to notify visitors of their privacy policies. (9/14/2000 at The Detroit Free Press)
The Murky Debate Over an Internet Address Database
Congress, ICANN and privacy advocates are all preparing positions on how private domain-name registrants' information should be, and how far a registrar should go to validate the information. (2/25/2002 at The New York Times)
Net Directory Raises Privacy Concerns
The WHOIS database, which lists the owners of Internet domains and their contact information, has traditionally been publicly available; some are calling for the information to be removed from the public eye. (11/15/2000 at USA Today)
Net Privacy Lost and Found
A rundown of recent privacy problems which have Net citizens calling for government regulation. (3/14/2000 at Upside)
New Proposal for Universal Internet Addresses Spurs Privacy Fears
IPv6, the next-generation Internet addressing system being developed by the IETF, would include information unique to a user's computer in every online communication, raising privacy concerns. (10/14/1999 at The Freedom Forum Online)
NSA: 'We Won't Spy on You'
The NSA denies claims that it plans to spy on Americans residing in the U.S. (12/7/1999 at Wired News)
Odd Privacy Ratings Exposed
Privacy-rating company enonymous.com is under fire for its seemingly random rankings of websites in terms of their privacy policies. (4/12/2000 at Wired News)
On the Net, in the Dark
Especially on stock market-oriented discussion boards, corporations are using subpoenas to get websites to reveal the identities of "anonymous" users. (11/8/1999 at Cal Law)
On Walls and Mouse Holes: Security and Privacy
Tog examines various ways that security can enhance privacy, and how designers (and businesses) must think in order to privacy-enhance their applications. (10/31/1999 at AskTog)
Online Consumers Fearful Of Privacy Violations
A Forrester Research press release states that in a recent study, almost 90% of respondents wanted to be able to control the data they've given away after providing it to someone online. (10/27/1999 at Forrester Research, Inc.)
Online Freedom Is a Right
The mainstream media are increasingly treating those concerned with online privacy as potential criminals and terrorists, rather than people with legitimate concerns. (12/14/1999 at Webdeveloper.com)
Online Privacy Committee Members Named
The Federal Trade Commission has named 40 members to its Advisory Committee on Online Access and Security, which will make recommendations regarding access to and security of consumer information online. (1/21/2000 at The Federal Trade Commission)
Online Privacy Update
A look at the status of the W3C's P3P (Platform for Privacy Preferences) initiative, and how patent conflicts and changing attitudes on privacy have affected it. (2/15/2000 at WebMonkey)
'Opting In': A Privacy Paradox
When polled, Internet users say they are concerned about maintaining their privacy; but many willingly divulge personal information to a select set of companies providing personalized service. (9/4/2000 at The Washington Post)
P3P - Platform for Privacy Preferences
An introduction to P3P, the W3C's recommendation regarding automatically negotiating privacy, and a sample P3P file. (8/12/2002 at WDVL)
P3P: Privacy Primer
A look at how the W3C's Platform for Privacy Preferences Project (P3P) provides a framework for browsers and websites to communicate regarding how a user's information will be used. (2/15/2002 at O'Reilly Network)
Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Systems: Caught Between EMI and Echelon
A look at how peer-to-peer technologies conflict with laws on content management and organizations' desires to track use of the Internet. (4/27/2001 at Web Review)
Preserve Your Rights Online - Act Now
Slashdot discussion of how to convince the U.S. government not to disregard civil rights in the wake of the WTC and Pentagon attacks; includes an account of a meeting with a member of Congress, Lynn Rivers. (9/16/2001 at Slashdot.org)
Pretty Geeky Privacy
Now that Network Associates is dropping support of Phil Zimmerman's PGP, and the software won't work on new versions of Windows and MacOS, non-geeks are turning to the user-unfriendly Gnu Privacy Guard (GnuPG). (3/27/2002 at Salon.com)
priv.08.22
Presidential hopefuls George W. Bush and John McCain are matching website visitors to individual voter records; Topica.com buys out mailing list companies, provoking list-owner outrage; comments on Netscape password encryption. (12/24/1999 at Privacy Forum)
Privacy Advocate Shifts Gears
Richard Smith is resigning his position as CTO of the Privacy Foundation to work as an independent security consultant. (11/8/2001 at Wired News)
Privacy Advocates Criticize RECA's Proposed Guidelines
Privacy advocates say RECA's industry-created privacy guidelines, which "recommends" single opt-in but doesn't rule out opt-out mailing lists, are too weak. (9/26/2000 at InternetNews.com)
Privacy Certified
An example of a bad privacy policy, a good privacy policy, and why you should write one that's good for your customers. (7/13/2001 at Web Techniques)
Privacy Fuels Gov't Efforts
State legislators, congressmembers, and the Federal Trade Commission are all examining the issue of citizen privacy on the Internet; government regulation may happen this year. (3/9/2000 at CNNfn)
Privacy Gets Some Respect
A survey by the Progress and Freedom Foundation suggests that websites are asking visitors for less information, and being more sensitive to privacy concerns. (3/28/2002 at Wired News)
Privacy Groups Aim to Block Wiretap Rules
The ACLU and EPIC have filed a lawsuit to keep new federal wiretapping rules from taking effect. (11/19/1999 at ZDNet)
A Privacy Proposal for Dot-Com Bankruptcies
How the Toysmart.com bankruptcy prompted federal legislation to keep bankrupt companies from selling user info; and the details of the legislation, the Leahy Amendment. (4/20/2001 at GigaLaw.com)
Promises, Promises, Promises
Andy Oram argues that technology alone (such as P3P) won't protect privacy; and that almost any technology can be used against its users. (4/7/2000 at Web Review)
A Protective Path Paved in Granola
A comparison of the nascent privacy movement with the environmental movement of the 1960s. (7/15/2001 at The New York Times)
Punching Holes in Internet Walls
Web users in countries like China and Saudi Arabia have to circumvent government controls to access non-approved websites; anonymizing services and peer-to-peer technology are helping them do so. (5/22/2001 at The New York Times)
Q&A with DoubleClick's Kevin Ryan
An interview with Kevin Ryan, president of DoubleClick, about the uproar surrounding the company's plans to connect data on user browsing patterns with users' real-world identities. (2/23/2000 at ZDNet)
Real Networks Hit With Privacy Lawsuit
A class-action lawsuit that could top $500 million is being filed against Real Networks for their privacy snafu involving RealJukebox. (11/9/1999 at InternetNews.com)
Report: E-tail Privacy Policies Improving
According to a survey by Peppers and Rogers Group, 48% of the sites surveyed said they didn't share customer data with outsiders, and ecommerce sites in general are making their privacy policies more prominent. (9/15/2000 at ECommerce Times)
Report: U.S. Leads Worldwide Snooping Drive
EPIC and Privacy International say in their report, "Privacy & Human Rights 2000," that the U.S. government has pushed the rest of the world to curb the development of strong encryption and increase governments' abilities to monitor citizens electronicall (9/22/2000 at CNN)
Research Team to Review FBI's Carnivore
The Justice Department has selected IIT Research Institute to perform a technical review of its "Carnivore" email surveillance system. (9/27/2000 at ZDNet)
Restraint Pledged on 'Profiling'
A group of large Internet advertising networks has pledged to give consumers the ability to opt out of online profiling; critics say government investigation, not industry self-regulation, is needed. (11/9/1999 at The Washington Post)
Roundtable Discussion: Internet Privacy and the Law
Experts from the legal, government, and private sectors (Larry Singer, Richard Keck, Jon Buffington, and Bill Poulos) discuss aspects of online privacy. (4/4/2001 at GigaLaw.com)
Safe Harbor, Stormy Waters
A look at the "safe harbor" agreement between the U.S. and the European Union regarding collection of European citizens' data by US companies, and the problems many privacy advocates have with the agreement. (10/27/2000 at ZDNet Developer)
Secrecy for Everyone, as Encryption Goes to Market
As privacy and encryption become more important to computer users, previously reclusive cypherpunks are creating or joining startups and raking in the dollars. (5/18/2000 at The New York Times)
Senate OKs Measure to Keep Dot-coms From Selling Personal Customer Data
Under legislation included in a recently-passed bankruptcy reform bill, bankrupt corporations won't be able to sell their customers' information if doing so would violate their privacy policies. (3/15/2001 at Siliconvalley.com)
Senators, Privacy Advocates Spar Over FIDNet Plan
Privacy advocates are protesting the details of the federal intrusion detection network (FIDNet) that President Clinton has proposed be created to guard against attacks against civilian government computers. (2/1/2000 at The Industry Standard)
Send in the Online Spooks?
In the wake of the WTC and Pentagon attacks, privacy and civil liberties advocates fear that the government will engage in long-term activities and policies that reduce citizens' freedom. (9/14/2001 at Salon.com)
Sensitive Court Records Go Online, Sparking Debate Over Restrictions
The posting to the Web of court documents and depositions, which have traditionally been publicly-available but somewhat difficult to obtain, is causing controversy, as people find their words and personal information easily available online. (2/27/2001 at MSNBC)
Snoop Bill Heads to Final Vote
The House of Representative's Patriot Act and the Senate's USA act both purport to give the government the tools to monitor and stop terrorists and Net criminals; but the Patriot Act provides some limits on government authority. (10/10/2001 at Wired News)
Special EPIC Alert
A series of quotes from U.S. politicians urging that civil liberties not be curtailed due to Americans' desire for safety. (9/17/2001 at Electronic Privacy Information Center)
Special Report: The Privacy Problem
A set of articles from The Industry Standard covering privacy issues and their economic impact. (3/6/2000 at The Industry Standard)
Standard, Plain-English Privacy Policies Wanted - Surveys
According to a Privacy Leadership Initiative survey, 64 percent of web-surfing adults ignore or barely glance at privacy policies; 70 percent favor shorter, simpler policies. (12/3/2001 at NewsBytes)
States Jump Into Privacy Battle
A number of state legislatures are passing laws about privacy and technology, many of them more far-reaching than privacy bills being examined by the U.S. Congress. (9/20/2000 at The Washington Post)
Stealing MS Passport's Wallet
Software developer Marc Slemko demonstrated the insecurity of Microsoft's Passport by showing how to obtain a Hotmail user's credit card information merely by getting the user to open an email message. (11/2/2001 at Wired News)
Symantec Will Not Detect Magic Lantern
Slashdot discussion of anti-virus companies' decisions not to detect the FBI's key-logging software, Magic Lantern, with their products. (11/28/2001 at Slashdot.org)
Technology Will Play Bigger Role in Security
In the wake of the terrorist attacks on the WTC and Pentagon, national electronic ID cards may be issued, law enforcement officials granted greater surveillance powers, and routine video surveillance increased. (9/18/2001 at The New York Times)
Teenagers Will Trade Private Online Information for Gifts, Study Finds
According to a University of Pennsylvania survey, teenagers are more willing to give online marketers private information about their families than adults are. (5/16/2000 at The Chronicle of Higher Education)
Top Guns Want to Probe Carnivore
A group of fairly famous security experts has volunteered to review the FBI's Carnivore surveillance system for the government. (8/21/2000 at Wired News)
Top Web Sites Compromise Consumer Privacy
EPIC issued a report detailing privacy problems among the most-visited websites: some don't post privacy policies, others use profile-based advertising, and others use cookies (considered an intrusion by some privacy advocates). (12/17/1999 at News.com)
Total Info System Totally Touchy
"Critics say looking for terrorists by rooting around in private, commercial databases of Americans' personal information violates the Fourth Amendment -- not to mention citizens' privacy. Some ... even refuse to work on the project on ethical grounds." (12/2/2002 at Wired News)
Trading Net Privacy At E-Checkout
Recent events indicate that though consumers are concerned about their privacy online, they are quite willing to give their information to be able to buy the products they want. (9/11/2000 at ZDNet)
TRUSTe Declines Real Probe
TRUSTe, the organization that is supposed to monitor the Web-based privacy violations of sites displaying its seal, decided RealNetwork's privacy violations are beyond the scope of TRUSTe's mission; so it's going to expand its scope. (11/9/1999 at Wired News)
TRUSTe to Launch EU Safe Harbor Seal
TRUSTe will provide an "EU Safe Harbor Privacy Seal" for those U.S. companies on the U.S.'s "safe harbor" list; through a deal between the U.S. and the European Union, companies on that list don't have to comply with the EU's stringent Data Protection Dir (11/1/2000 at The Industry Standard)
U.S.: Carnivore Fears Overblown
The U.S. Justice Department says that Carnivore is a precise Internet-wiretap tool, that will only intercept messages to and from suspected criminals; but civil liberties groups don't feel the FBI can be trusted with it. (7/24/2000 at Wired News)
Understanding P3P
A look at P3P - the Platform for Privacy Preferences, meant to give users greater control over their personal information online. (1/3/2002 at DevShed)
US and Europe Clinch Privacy Deal
The US and Europe have come to a preliminary agreement regarding privacy on the Internet; U.S. corporations can continue to serve European customers as long as they safeguard their data. (3/14/2000 at BBC News)
Users to Web Sites: Protect my Privacy
A recent survey suggests that while most web users are concerned about their privacy, most know very little about how it is violated and how to protect themselves. (8/20/2000 at ZDNet)
Voter.com to Sell Membership List
Political portal voter.com plans to sell its mailing list of 170,000 email addresses (including demographic information) to multiple buyers; privacy advocates are concerned. (3/15/2001 at The Industry Standard)
A Watchdog With Some Bite
Peter Barton (QVC home shopping network business guru) and Richard M. Smith (who helped track the creators of the Love Bug and Melissa viruses) are forming a technology-oriented privacy watchdog group, the Privacy Foundation. (9/25/2000 at The Industry Standard)
We Know Where You Live
Major corporations are working on ways to determine an Internet user's physical locations; using a variety of methods, some of the companies already claim 90% accuracy in determining a Web surfer's city. (11/13/2000 at Forbes)
Web Ad Execs Just Say No To FTC Privacy Workshop Query
Web advertising executives who will attend an FTC workshop on privacy have refused to let privacy advocate Jason Catlett profile them in the same way that their companies profile people online. (2/28/2001 at NewsBytes)
Who Should Set Net Privacy Rules?
A panel of conservative public policy scholars, hosted by the Progress & Freedom Foundation, recommended against government regulation of privacy online; consumer advocates, though, say industry has tried and failed to self-regulate. (4/24/2001 at PC World)
Wireless Web Privacy Hole Still Wide Open
5 months after mobile phone Web surfers discovered that some service providers were sending their phone numbers to Web sites they visited, the providers still haven't fixed the problem. (8/17/2000 at News.com)
Word Docs With Ears?
The Privacy Foundation has discovered that Microsoft Word documents can contain "Web bugs" - links to invisible images on remote servers, through which document creators can track who reads word processing files that they distribute. (8/31/2000 at Wired News)
Workplace Surveillance is the Top Privacy Story of 2000
Workplace surveillance, medical privacy, Carnivore faces attack, DoubleClick privacy plans assailed, Chief Privacy Officers, Amazon declares it can sell user information... (12/28/2000 at Privacy Foundation)
World Wide Web Consortium Clears Patent Hurdle for Web Privacy
The W3C has issues a press release stating that its P3P technology does not infringe on Intermind Corporation's patent on privacy technology. (10/28/1999 at The World Wide Web Consortium)
Would You Pay $10 For Privacy?
Zero-Knowledge Systems Inc. has developed what appears to be an anonymous means of sending email, browsing the web, and chatting online. It brings privacy up to the level of anonymity provided in the real world; but privacy advocates want more. (12/13/1999 at ZDNet)
Yahoo! Blurs the Privacy Line
Three days after Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang urged websites to draft and follow strict privacy rules, the ACLU and others sued the portal for violating users' privacy rights. (5/15/2000 at ECommerce Times)
You Can Hide From Prying Eyes
Researchers at the Information Hiding Workshop talked about the promise and perils of anonymous email, Java and JavaScript for compromising users' identities, and the Strong Eternity Service, an anonymous file-storage system. (4/27/2001 at Wired News)
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