Fergie's Tech Blog

Online Privacy's Call to Arms

Catherine Holahan writes on BusinessWeek.com:

Web surfers aren't just mad about online privacy violations. They're getting even. Consumers are speaking out publicly against companies they say have gone too far in tracking their Web surfing patterns, creating public relations nightmares. They're also heading for the courts, seeking millions of dollars in damages. Before long, companies will need to pay more than lip service to privacy protection or they may end up being forced to pay up—period.

The latest alleged corporate breach involves Sears Holdings, parent of department stores Sears and Kmart. On Jan. 8, the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, a research program at Harvard Law School, released a report accusing Sears of violating the privacy of users of its online community site. To join, customers download a program that tracks their online purchases and other activity. Sears failed to sufficiently explain what the software does, according to the study's authors.

posted by Fergie @ 1/09/2008 11:46:00 AM