Is the Web watching you?

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Is the Web watching you?

By Richard Morochove

First published December 24, 1998

Who knows where you've been surfing? Just about anyone. You may believe you're anonymous on the Internet, but a website can collect detailed information about your habits, whether you know it or not.

As people use the Internet more intensively for research, communication and online shopping, personal privacy has become an increasing concern. What do websites know about you? How can you protect your privacy?

Any site can log information about its visitors, showing which web pages you've browsed and your path through a site. The log can also show if you've reached the site by clicking on a link and the address of that referring link. If you've arrived via a search engine, such as Altavista, the log can record any key words or phrases you entered in your search. It can even track such arcane details as the name and version of your browser and the operating system of your computer.

These web server logs generally track visitor information by using your IP (Internet Protocol) address. A few ISPs (Internet Service Providers) assign you a static IP address that can identify you every time you surf, since your address doesn't change. However, many more ISPs will give you a new IP address each time you log on. With variable IP addresses, a remote website can determine which ISP you're using, but doesn't know if a subsequent visitor with the same IP address is you or someone else who happens to use the same provider.

Websites can gather more detailed information if they require you to complete a registration form that asks for your name, E-mail account, street address, personal interests, age and income.

Some surfers balk at completing an online registration form to gain access. So a website may run a contest and collect this same personal information in an entry form. By depositing an identifying file on your PC called a "cookie", the site can keep track of you during repeat visits, regardless of your IP address.

The website could use the information it gathers for direct marketing, modifying the advertisements and other information it presents on its home page to suit your interests, for example.

Sometimes personal information becomes available to the public. Last week the head of a web security firm claimed to have downloaded a 9 megabyte database of personal information from the CBS Sportsline website. The database included names, E-mail addresses, home addresses and telephone number of visitors who had entered contests on the site.

How can you protect your privacy on the Net?

Before you fill in a registration form, check the website for a privacy statement. This should outline what personal information it collects from visitors and the use it makes of this data. For example, does the website sell or trade your personal data to others?

Look for seals such as the one from TRUSTe. This means that a third party has checked to ensure that the website follows the policies outlined in its privacy statement. If can't find a privacy statement, E-mail the webmaster of the site to find out.

Recent versions of popular browsers allow you to turn off the automatic acceptance of cookies by modifying settings in your preferences or options. However, this may cause problems viewing pages on some sites that keep track of your progress using cookies. You can search your hard drive for "cookies" to see if cookie files have been deposited on your computer and then delete them.

Services such as those provided by Anonymizer Inc. permit you to surf without revealing your identity.

If you participate in web bulletin boards, chat rooms, Usenet newsgroups or instant messaging services, then use an alias that does not identify you. If you provide your real name and E-mail address, others will be able to communicate with you, whether you want them to or not.

If you purchase goods or services online, then be sure you enter your credit card number on a form that passes it to a secure server that encrypts the transmission of sensitive data. When you connect with a secure server, your browser should display an indicator such a solid key or a lock.

If your ISP allows you the option, pay your service charges using a cheque. If a credit card is required, then ask how your ISP protects the database of customer's credit card information.

Do we need new laws and regulations to protect personal privacy on the Internet? In October, the European Union, enacted a strict new law protecting personal privacy. The C.R.T.C. in Canada and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission are considering the issue.

Web surfers can cross national borders without knowing it, by simply clicking a mouse. I predict any national laws will have limited effect since they cannot regulate all sites. When it comes to your personal privacy, it's up to you to surf wisely. CW

Richard Morochove, FCA, is a Toronto-based computer consultant.

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