Privacy in Cyberspace

 Privacy refers to an individual’s ability to restrict

the collection, use, and sale of confidential
personal information.
 The Internet is eroding privacy through the
selling of information collected through
registration forms on Web sites.
 Few laws regulate selling personal information.
 Technology is not only making it easier to
invade someone’s privacy, but it is also
providing a means to protect against privacy
invasion.
Encryption
 Encryption refers to the coding of
information so that it is only readable
by the intended recipient.
 It is used in electronic commerce
transactions and e-mail.
 Encryption provides a way to use the
Internet in a safe, secure way.
 It could be used misused by
criminals and terrorists.
Anonymity
 Anonymity is the ability to convey
a message without disclosing
one’s identity.

 It can be abused because it frees

people from accountability.

 Defamation is the act of injuring

someone’s reputation by making
false statements.
How Is Technology Eroding
Privacy and Anonymity?
 Computers and the Internet enable
marketing firms, snoops, and
government officials to collect
information in ways that are hidden from
view.

 Hidden information technologies used

on the Internet are:
 Cookies
 Global Unique Identifiers (GUIDs)
Cookies
 Cookies are small files that are written to an
individual’s hard drive whenever a Web site
is visited.

 Legitimate purposes of cookies include

recording information for future use.
Example: retail sites using “shopping carts.”

 Questionable practices include banner ad

companies tracking a user’s browsing
actions and placing banner ads on Web sites
based on those actions.
Example of Cookies
Global Unique Identifiers
(GUIDs)

 A GUID is a unique identification number

generated by hardware or a program.

 It is used to send user information back

to the site that created it.
Protecting Your Privacy Online
1. Browse anonymously– Use Web sites
such as www.anonymizer.com or
www.the-cloak.com.
2. Disable cookies on your Web browser.
3. Use free e-mail addresses for information
placed on Web sites.
4. Don’t divulge personal information to
online strangers.
5. Make sure registration forms have a
privacy policy statement.
Privacy at Work
 Employees are given e-mail and Internet
access at work.
 Companies are concerned about
employees’ wasting time surfing the net and
sending personal e-mail.
 Three-quarters of large corporations
monitor employees’ phone calls, e-mail,
Web browsing habits, and computer files.
 Laws do not protect employees from being
monitored.
Things to Remember at Work
1. Do not use the employer’s phone for
personal calls.
2. Do not use the employer’s e-mail for
personal messages.
3. Assume everything you do at work is
being monitored.
The Five Fair Information and
Important Federal Privacy Laws
- The Fair Information Practices were
developed by the U.S. Department of
Health, Education, and Welfare in the
early 1970s. They have been adopted by
many public and private organizations
since
Fair Information Practices

1. There must be no personal data record-

keeping systems whose existence is a
secret from the general public

2. People have the right to access, inspect,

review, and amend data about them that
is kept in an information system.
Fair Information Practices
3. There must be no use of personal
information for purposes other than those
for which it was gathered without prior
consent.

4. Managers of systems are responsible and

should be held accountable and liable for
the reliability and security of the systems
under their control, as well as for many
damage done by those systems.
Fair Information Practices
5. Governments have the right to
intervene in the information
relationships among private parties to
protect the privacy of individuals.
Important Federal Privacy Laws
 Freedom of Information Act (1970):
Gives you the right to look at data
concerning you that is stored by the
federal government. A drawback is that
sometimes a lawsuit is necessary to pry it
loose.
Important Federal Privacy Laws
 Fair Credit Reporting Act (1970): Bars credit
agencies from sharing credit information with
anyone but authorized customers. Gives you
the right to review and correct your records and
to be notified of credit investigations for
insurance employment. A drawback is that
credit agencies may share information with
anyone that reasonably believe has a
“legitimate business need.” Legitimate is not
defined.
Important Federal Privacy Laws
 Privacy Act (1974): Prohibits federal
information collected about you for one
purpose from being used for a different
purpose. Allows the right to inspect and
correct records. A drawback is that
exceptions written into the law allow
federal agencies to share information
anyway.
Important Federal Privacy Laws
 Family Educational Rights and Privacy
Act (1978): Sets strict procedures that
federal agencies must follow when
seeking to examine customer records in
bank; regulates financial industry’s use of
personal financial records. A drawback is
that the law does not cover state and local
governments.
Important Federal Privacy Laws
 Privacy Protection Act (1980):
Prohibits agents of federal government
from making unannounced searches of
press offices if no one there is
suspected of a crime.
Important Federal Privacy Laws
 Cable Communication Policy Act
(1984): Restricts cable companies
in the collection and sharing of
information about their customers.
Important Federal Privacy Laws

 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

(1986): Makes eavesdropping on
private conversations illegal without
a court order.
Important Federal Privacy Laws

 Computer Security Act (1987):

Makes actions that affect the security
of computer files and
telecommunications illegal.
Important Federal Privacy Laws
 Computer Matching and Privacy
Protection Act (1998): Regulates
computer matching of federal data;
allows individual a chance to respond
before government takes adverse
actions against them. A drawback is that
many possible computer matches are
not affected, such as those done for
law-enforcement or tax reasons.
Important Federal Privacy Laws

 Video Privacy Protection Act

(1988): Prevents retailers from
disclosing video-rental records
without the customer’s consent or a
court order.