Keep it to yourself

Here's a quick true or false quiz on Internet privacy. See how you do:

• It's legal for companies to sell information collected about you online without your consent.
• Deleting your cookies is enough to prevent companies from tracking you online.
• A court order is required for a company to monitor your personal communications online, including e-mail.

Only the first statement is true; the rest are false. If you got all of them right, congratulations. But many of us could use a little education about the state of our online privacy, according to a recent survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. For example, 43 percent of those surveyed  incorrectly believed a court order is necessary to monitor personal communications online, and 15 percent believed incorrectly that if they don't want to be tracked online all they need to do is delete their cookies.

The study also showed how willing—or not—Internet users are to allow their personal information to be used by online companies.

• More than two-thirds said they don't mind providing personal information to a Web site in order to use the site.
• At the same time, they don’t want their personal information tracked; more than three-quarters said that such tracking would be harmful to them.
• Fifty-three percent were uncomfortable with the idea of a company using the content of their e-mails and browsing history to send relevant ads, even when the information gathered wasn't personally identifiable.
• Survey respondents also strongly believed Internet companies should ask their permission before using their personal information, and that an opt-out feature should be required whenever their online behavior is tracked.

The bottom line: People want more control over what’s happening to their personal information online. For more on privacy guidelines that Consumers Union believes companies should implement, go to Consumer Reports WebWatch. To learn more about protecting yourself online, take a look at our Guide to Online Security.

—Donna Tapellini

Comments

[N Body]

Lots of internet privacy tips & tricks here folks. http://www.cogipas.com/ including some good stuff to keep your kids safe. Thanks.