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| Are We Losing our Privacy? |
By:
Merle |
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If you spend any amount of time online you've heard about"privacy policies." Privacy issues are becoming a major concernonline. Every time you visit a website, fill out a form, or purchasean online product or service, you're giving out personal information.Did you ever stop and wonder what website owners are doing withthat information? The information collected can be sold to third parties -- usually adagencies and marketers -- or kept by the site owners themselves for usein creating a profile of your preferences and tastes.You might think if you've never filled out a form or even given outyour e-mail address they have nothing on you. Think again.Information can be gathered about you every time you log ontothe Net. Certain types of information can be learned about you"invisibly" that you're not even aware of such as:1) Your IP Address (the address given to your PCby your ISP whenever you log on).2) The type of PC you have3) The Browser you are using4) Operating System you're running5) Domain Registered NameWith more and more sites gathering information it's moreimportant than ever to implement your own privacy policyand to be aware of others' policies when giving them your information.A privacy policy is a statement or article that spellsout what you do with any personal data collected by yourwebsite. Although not mandatory it is a good idea to implement one on your site if you collect any kind ofpersonal data from visitors to your website. A privacypolicy also will make your site guests feel morecomfortable sharing their information with you, knowingyou won't sell it to the highest bidder.So what components make up a privacy policy?1) Clearly state what information you are collectingand if you share it with any third parties.2) Give a way for site visitors to change anyinformation given now, at a later date.3) Clearly state how you are storing the collectedinformation.4) Information on how to opt out of any futuremailings from your company.5) If your site uses cookies this must be disclosed.Use simple wording in your policy instead of high tech language,and don't collect any information that you really don't need. It's important to keep up on any new laws regardingprivacy policies in case you need to modify it later on.If you need help creating a policy you can use Truste'sonline wizard at http://www.truste.org/wizard/This will give you a good starting base and you canedit the final product to fit your site's needs.After creating it make sure you link to it from everypage on your site.If you think that implementing a privacy policy isn't important, take a look at these statistics gathered byForrester Research:90% of online consumers want to control how theirpersonal information is being used.67% of consumers have reservations about giving outpersonal information online.The government is trying to stay out of passing moundsof regulations on privacy issues, preferring "self regulation" instead. In 1998 they did pass"The Children's Online Privacy Act" (COPPA), making it mandatory that sites reveal how they deal with information received from minors without parentalconsent. European countries are much more strictwhen it comes to Internet Privacy Laws then the US.If you do create a privacy policy and use the informationcollected in a different manner than stated in that policy,you may be held liable by The Federal TradeCommission. This type of deception is a violation of the FTC Act,and is a very serious offense. So if you implement a policy make sure you stick to what it says.Many of the privacy site leaders offer a privacy seal program. If after creating your policy you think ithas what it takes to be certified, check outhttp://www.truste.org/webpublishers/pub_join.htmhttp://www.enonymous.com/default2.asphttp://www.secureassure.comhttp://bbbonline.com/businesses/privacy/guide.htmlBecoming certified is an added plus for any commercial website and will help alleviate any fearof sharing information on the part of your websiteguests.So how do you protect yourself while you're online? First, by being aware that every move you make may be recorded.Second, always read a site's privacy policy so youknow what's being done with the information you doprovide, if any. If you'd like to keep sites from gathering "invisible information" about you such asyour IP address, operating system, etc., you maywant to look into an anonymous browsing servicewhich conceals your identity while surfing. Check out;http://www.anonymizer.com/http://www.privada.net/http://www.freedom.net/If you'd like to find out if a certain site has a privacy policy in place surf over tohttp://www.enonymous.comhttp://www.privacyratings.orgRemember, the temptation for website owners to sellpersonal information to third parties is high onlinedue to the demand for that information by advertisers.Make sure you're doing your part by being aware of who you're giving your information to, and knowing what they are doing with it. About the Author
Merle's Cyber Promotions (M.C.)http://www.mcpromotions.comCreating Visibility Online for Small Business...because just havinga site isn't enough. Visit the site to receive FREE e-books packedwith marketing & promotional tips that will help your site get traffic. Also subscribe to MC Promotions Press Newsletter to subscribemailto:subscribe@mcpromotions.com |
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