Jedadiah Ashford
Protecting Privacy
Privacy Policies on the website provide a way for the user to see how the collected information is shared by the website. If the website collects social security numbers, are they going to give them to anyone for any purpose? Our housing complex collects social security numbers and they are given out only to collection agencies well after we have warned the tenant beforehand. This is important to both the website and the visiting user. Both can be as sometimes said “on the same page” when it comes to knowing what is going to be done with their information.
            This privacy is law that was implemented under the Privacy act of 1974. This law made it illegal for a company to share any piece of personal information unless for the following:

  1. For statistical purposes by the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics
  2. For routine uses within a U.S. government agency
  3. For archival purposes "as a record which has sufficient historical or other value to warrant its continued preservation by the United States Government"
  4. For law enforcement purposes
  5. For congressional investigations
  6. Other administrative purposes

These are the only exception to the rules.  So websites must obey the same principles. Any information gathered must be protected and kept private.
The Better Business Bureau has suggested ways that we can create and impliment a privacy policy. They suggest that the document be simple and easy to read. This means to limit the legal wording and keep it simple so all types of people can read it. They suggest a few titles for headings among the policy. Here are a few:

  1. Limit the application of the privacy notice to U.S. residents.
  2. Apply the privacy notice provisions to everyone except those operating solely in a business capacity.
  3. Allow other organizations to collect individually identifiable information or prospect information by interacting directly with online visitors at the applicant's website.
  4. Collect passive information (including cookie information) that is linked to a name or similarly specific identifier.

Allowing this information to fill our policies will protect ourselves and the consumer or casual internet surfer. These people are protected by law and we need to respect that and follow suit.
            We can do our best to make sure that everyone knows that we will do our best to keep the user’s information from leaving our company. Ultimatly it is the users responsibility. Just as a doctor’s office could be broken into and records stolen, website databases can also have information stolen. In addition, personal computers can have information stolen from them. A recent study showed over 6000 different programs were in use today to log key strokes on individual computers. We must be careful in this day and age to keep our computers up to date and clean to keep privacy at maximum.
Better Business Bureau, “Sample Privacy Notice,“ http://www.bbbonline.org/privacy/sample_privacy.asp
Wikipedia, “Privacy Act of 1974” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy_Act_of_1974
Wikipedia, “Privacy policy” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy_policy
Blaine Robertson, “Protection while living in a glass house!” http://blainerobertson.net/school/235/presentations/privacy.ppt
The New York Times, "Cyberthieves Silently Copy Your Password"
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/27/technology/27hack.html?_r=1&ex=1163998800&en=5599d5982c64f082&ei=5070&oref=slogin  TOM ZELLER Jr. February 27, 2006