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Tips to
Observe for End-Users
1. Read Web sites' privacy policies
2. Look for a privacy seal and make sure they are real
3. Don't give out passwords or your mother's maiden name
4. Don't accept cookies from sites you don't know
5. Make sure your connection is secure
6. Use encryption software
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PRIVACY ONLINE IS a hot topic these days for both businesses --
especially e-commerce sites -- and shoppers. Companies struggle to build
trust with their online visitors, hoping to turn them into customers. On the
other side, online shoppers are skeptical of Internet security practices, and
making an initial purchase frightens them.
For companies to build successful e-commerce sites, they need to first gain
users' trust. The more online customers a site logs, the higher company sales
will be, resulting in an improvement in the company's bottom line. To gain
user trust and confidence, certain privacy practices should be followed.
Corporate
confidence and policies: E-commerce site tactics
Companies walk a fine line between preserving their integrity online by
providing a secure site and gathering user information for future marketing
and sales campaigns. When setting up an e-commerce site, companies will want
to follow some general customer privacy guidelines to ensure a successful
transaction site.
First and foremost, businesses need to post privacy statements on their Web
sites. A privacy statement is a legal, binding document that should include
explicit information about what data is collected and for what purpose. In
addition, get your site certified by privacy seal organizations such as
TRUSTe (www.etrust.com).
Site visitors can then click on these seals to verify the validity and status
of your certificate.
If your site has a registration area that gathers information about your
customers, make sure you let them know what information you are collecting
and what you plan to do with it. If you tell customers up front what the
questions are for, you will have a better chance of gaining their confidence.
Also, when accepting credit cards on your site, make sure you have a secure
site and provide proof in your policy.
In our research of privacy policies, we saw a number of explanations for why
information is collected. For example, a company may use specified
information to find out how many visitors are using a particular browser or
what products users purchase. What does the company do with this information?
Is it used for personalization, marketing, selling to third parties? The more
information users have access to, the more secure they feel, and, in turn,
the more they will trust using the site.
If you plan to sell or share the information with third parties such as
advertising agencies, financial groups, fulfillment houses, and so on, let
your visitors know. State in your privacy policy what safeguards are in place
to prevent accidental disclosure of information, such as how the information
is stored and what restrictions are in place to protect the data.
Also, give users the opportunity not to have information gathered about them
via opt-out or opt-in functions. Opt-out allows customers or registrars to
choose to not be on a mailing list or not have their information passed on to
marketing agencies. But remember, if a Web site offers opt-out, they are by
default placing customers on these lists. Be sure to clearly state your
company's opt-out/opt-in policies.
Above all, let people know you care, and always provide contact information
such as a phone number or e-mail address. If you need help writing a privacy
policy, there are privacy seal programs such as Privacy Bot (www.privacybot.com)
that help businesses write them.
If users don't trust your site, your business will not prosper. Get your site
certified and secure, and lay out a policy that can be easily viewed.
Although companies can provide comprehensive security policies on their Web
sites, users should also be aware of their rights and how they can
investigate the validity of an e-commerce site.
Arm
thyself, Big Brother is watching: End-user tactics
Although it may seem logical for companies to fully understand the privacy
issues involved with their Web site, customers should also understand the
ramifications of the information that can be gathered about them. End-users
need to educate themselves on how Web site information is collected and how
they can best protect themselves.
Online customers usually don't realize that they are not required to disclose
personal information to a Web site. In addition, users don't realize that
information about them can be gathered just from visiting a site via the use
of cookies or Web logs. This information may include personal data such as
the user's name and address but can also include information about the machine
being used, IP address, location, browser, as well as what pages the user has
viewed. This information can be tracked from site to site, leaving traceable
footsteps on the Internet.
Well then, how can consumers protect themselves? There are several simple
tactics to follow. Next time they visit a Web site and are asked to register,
they should remember that they don't have to disclose any information.
Customers should look for privacy policies and read them, making sure that
they understand them before purchasing from the site. Also, they should look
for certified privacy seals and verify the validity of the privacy seal to
ensure the company's legitimacy.
If a site uses cookies -- small files that contain user information -- it is
the viewer's option to accept them. Many browsers are set to accept cookies
by default while other browsers are not. Not only does a cookie contain
information that Web sites use to identify customers, but that information
can also be shared with third parties.
Depending on what information is gathered, a person's privacy may be at risk.
For example, passwords, credit card numbers, or a mother's maiden name can be
rapidly spread to other sites. The good news is that end-users are now able
to manage cookies via new tools, such as Junkbusters (see our review).
In addition to cookies, Web logs track and gather information on each
end-user. Some sites are connected to tracking networks that record not only
what a visitor does on one site but on all the sites he or she visits. At
little or no cost, tools such as ZeroKnowledge's Freedom software protect a
user's anonymity. It works with the browser and removes tracks made by the
computer, such as IP address.
When using a credit card online, consumers need to check to see whether the
site is a secure site and make sure their browser supports SET (Secure
Electronic Transfer) or SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). Also, the same consumer
protection laws apply online as they do offline, so credit-card buyers are
protected.
Before buying that CD online, savvy Web shoppers will check out the Web
site's privacy policy and determine whether they've been followed via
cookies. It is their right to know. If a site's privacy information isn't
available or is incomplete, we recommend visiting another site. Companies
should not play dumb when asked about their privacy policy. In this day and
age in which seconds can make or break online shopping decisions, corporations
can't afford to lose shoppers by not displaying comprehensive privacy
policies.
Return to the Privacy
in the Enterprise package.
Lori Mitchell (lori_mitchell@infoworld.com)
covers portals, market exchanges, online customer service, and
commerce-related tools.
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Corporate Web Site CheckList
1. Develop a privacy policy
2. Obtain a Privacy Seal certification
3. Secure your site with secure server software such as SSL
4. Let customers know what information you are collecting
5. State what you plan to do with the information
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