Digging Deeper

Your Guide to Online Privacy

by Mark Glaser

With the advent of the Internet and a growing number of security breaches, people worry that their personal information can be seen and exploited around the world in an instant. If you have incriminating photos online, a potential employer or love interest might find them and make snap judgments. If you shop online with a credit card, a merchant might steal your information and run up charges on your card. If you surf online around major media sites, publishers might use your "data trail" to target advertising to you.

• February 13, 2008
• 6 comments

Your Take

How do you protect your privacy online?

by Mark Glaser

Lately, online privacy has been a hot topic for Internet users. The Federal Trade Commission held hearings about online privacy in relation to behavioral, targeted advertising, and Facebook took a lot of heat for its Beacon platform that broadcast people's off-site purchases to friends without their permission. But many surveys show that people don't care as much about their privacy as the experts do. So I'm wondering: Is online privacy a big issue for you, and if so, how do you keep your information more private online? Do you clear your cookies, the identifying information that gives a trail of your web surfing? Do you use fake user names and personal information when you register at a site? How do you protect your privacy online, and how much do you care about it? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and I'll run the best ones in a future Your Take Roundup.

• February 11, 2008
• 2 comments