Internet privacy is a major concern for anyone who signs on to a computer. Privacy on the Internet is a status where an individual can work on his or her information without fear of said information being used without the user permission. With each passing day, more and more people are signing on to a computer, unaware their private information is being collected and used without their knowledge.
Businesses should be aware that consumers are looking for privacy protection and a privacy statement can help to ease consumer's concerns. If businesses do not provide privacy protection, people will start to abstain from buying products off the Internet. It is not only businesses that need to implement privacy protection. To protect consumer’s privacy, legislation, self-regulation, and technical solutions are some of a few solutions ways that can be implemented.
Another tool that can be used for the protection of Internet privacy is the use of anonymity by the user. This is a good tool for some users and dangerous for others. For example, any stalker can use this particular tool against another user with any repercussions. While for some using a fake name can protect some users and their personal information.
Recently, well known journalist, Esther Dyson stated the problem, “The biggest challenge right now is ignorance: People aren’t worried enough, and are careless. Other people are worried too much, and are paranoid. No one knows what is known and what isn’t. It’s the one-way mirror effect that makes people so uneasy” (1)
A large number of services have been provided by online businesses that are posted on the home page; this is to reassure customers of their privacy. These services usually require a web site to pay a fee and also to enter in a contract, even go through an audit just to display a “seal of approval” to cover the consumers privacy. When using the Internet, the user should search diligently for these seals.
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