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Along with the blessings that the technology
revolution has spawned in the past 25 years have come troublesome
issues to take someof the bloom off the rose bush. No one
has to be reminded of the havoc and anxiety that viruses and
"worms" have inflicted on business and government
over the years. And it wasn't that long ago when heavily
trafficked Web sites such as Amazon, Yahoo!, E*Trade and a
few others were virtually brought to their knees by hackers
who were eventually caught. While scientists and technology
specialists devote thousands of man-hours to counteract these
intrusions, we can expect such problems to exist for as long
as the world is computer dependent. And that means forever.
While viruses and hackers are significant, there's
another technology-based issue that's high on the list of
problems in cyber world. It's the matter of privacy. First
we need to consider the use and abuse of personal information
that is transmitted via the Internet. Equally perplexing is
the internal matter of privacy as it relates to the confidentiality
of material that employees receive and transmit at their desks.
In my next column I'll explore the growing tensions over whether
an employee's use of a computer really is or should be private.
No one has to be reminded
of the havoc and anxiety that viruses and "worms"
have inflicted on business and government in the past
year or so.
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A major concern regarding Internet privacy
is the theft of social security numbers and other forms of
"identity theft" that allows scavengers, using what
is called "spyware" - software that tracks people's
Web surfing and buying habits - for exploitative purposes.
The proliferation of "spyware" usage has given rise
to a whole new industry - companies that are hired specifically
to help businesses track cyber thieves.
The question of how Internet companies use information
gathered from ordinary citizens is of great concern to consumer
advocate groups and government leaders. A recent issue of
CRN Magazine cited a survey showing that 62 percent of Americans
want new laws to protect online privacy. Many consumers fear
that the personal information that they offer during an e-commerce
transaction won't be kept confidential. Industry observers
say that this growing fear of lost privacy could seriously
stunt the growth of e-commerce until consumer confidence is
solidly established.
Two other major areas of consumer privacy concern are health
care and banking, industries in which information dealing
with consumer profiles is both prominent and vulnerable to
exploitation.
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Many consumers fear that the personal
information that they offer during an e-commerce transaction
won't be kept confidential.
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Regarding health care, Congress passed the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) that
includes requirements for keeping electronic data about patients
secure and private. In 1999, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act was
passed, requiring banks and securities firms to create and
disclose policies on how they handle data relating to their
customers. You've probably been receiving many of these in
the mail.
These are two of the more prominent pieces of privacy legislation
coming out of Washington. A number of other bills are pending
and bear watching in the coming months. Here are some of the
more notable ones:
- The Online Privacy Protection Act would require the Federal
Trade Commission to protect the privacy of personal data
collected from and about individuals.
- The Social Security Online Privacy Protection Act would
regulate the use of social security numbers by on-line,
interactive computer services. There are similar provisions
in the proposed Identity Theft Protection Act.
- The Spyware Control and Protection Act would require
that software made available to the public include notice
if it includes "spyware." The Electronic Privacy
Protection Act goes even further, making it unlawful to
create or install "spyware".
- Investigate the various options for surge suppressors
that can often help to minimize electrical damage.
- The Privacy Commission Act would create a Commission
for the Comprehensive Study of Privacy Protection.
The fact that the federal government is so preoccupied with
Internet privacy is a clear sign of how far-ranging this consumer
issue has become. A column of this length can only scratch
the surface in trying to do justice to such a complex topic
but I'd recommend that business owners and consumers alike
keep abreast of the rapidly changing area of privacy protection.
There's a lot at stake for all concerned.
Carol Conway is the owner of CRS Technology. She may be contacted
at carol@crsonline.net.
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