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Internet Privacy Issues - Certification
Makes All The Difference
By Ewebsecure
“Consumers have every right to expect
that a business that says it's keeping personal information secure is
doing exactly that. It's not just good business, it's the law
Bureau of Consumer Protection
Federal Trade Commission”
The issue of privacy is in the minds of all consumers especially when
it comes to the internet. According to Forrester Research, 2/3 of consumers
are concerned about trust, while a Visa 2004 survey found that 80% of
shoppers are concerned about privacy. In fact, we can't go too long before
we hear about internet privacy issues on the web, phishing, hacking, identity
theft are all risks associated with the internet.
What Are The Key Issues?
One of the key problems is that it is not yet required by law that sellers
need to maintain the privacy of the information they receive from people
who shop, order or submit information to them via a web site. However,
Federal law does require financial institutions to disclose what information
they collect from you and to provide an opt out option. Aside from Financial
instructions, sellers may collect names, addresses, emails, phone numbers,
product interest and share the information or sell it to other companies.
This often comes back in the way of more spam, direct mail or calls from
telemarketers.
As a result, it is important for web sites to post a privacy policy that
indicates how information received will be treated such as:
- What type of information is being collected
- How this information will be used
- Is an opt out offered?
- What is their policy regarding child privacy?
What Privacy Information Should I be Concerned About?
Any information you provide to a third party is at risk. From e-commerce
to signing up for an email newsletter, free hosting, chat rooms, blogs
etc. It's not to say that you can't trust anyone, if this were the case
then our lives would be severely restricted, what one should do is be
selective to where they interact and what information they part with.
Parting with information like Social Insurance Number or Date Of Birth
is almost always a no no. These key pieces of information can be used
for identity theft. Even if the site you submit the information too has
no intention of using it for this purpose, it can be leaked by employees
or stolen from hackers.
Keys To Protecting Privacy
Third Party Privacy Certification
A web site can provide you with all the promises under the sun, but how
as a new customer do you know this for sure? Other businesses that specialize
in certifying and monitoring web site privacy on the web goes a long way
in helping build trust with the web visitor. Not only is it good, sound
practice to display a privacy policy, people have to believe it. They
tend to trust companies more when they are under a monitored program.
Are They Secure?
When you have found a new site where you want to make a purchase, make
sure they are secured by SSL (Secured Socket Layer). You can confirm this
by looking for the little "lock" symbol on your browser as you
check out. You likely will only see this in the shopping cart check out
phase as the encryption slows the web site down when shoppers surf the
rest of the web site.
Double Check The Web Address
To avoid becoming a victim of phishing, double check the web address
so that is who they say they are. For example, AOL should be www.aol.com,
not www.myfakesite.aol.com. Don't enter any information into sites you
can't confirm the identity of.
References
Is the site legitimate? How long have they been in business? These are
key questions when determining you should do business with them. Again
third party certification will help answer this question. Sites like www.eopinions.com
who offer ratings on web sites can help you decide. You can also try entering
a search on Google, Yahoo or MSN and see what you come up with. Sometimes
you will be surprised at what you may find, good or bad.
Conclusion
Maintaining privacy is becoming a larger issue everyday, with the media
hype about internet fraud related crimes, people are becoming more vigilant
in who they trust and do business with. By taking the proper steps, you
can minimize your exposure to privacy concerns. For businesses wanting
to bridge the gap and earn their customer trust, third party certification
is a big step towards this goal and can boost conversion rates by up to
20%.
Our company specializes in helping businesses establish trust by providing
third party certification. Our experience with customers who have used
our product prove that it works. For more information please visit Privacy
Secure™.
Reporting Privacy Violations
If you have concerns about privacy violations, please find the links
below:
National Association of Attorneys General, www.naag.org.
Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Complaint Form which you will find
at http://www.consumer.gov/.
Children's Privacy Issues -
http://www.ftc.gov/kidzprivacy/
Other Privacy Related Sites:
Safeshopping.org - Provide safe shopping tips safeshopping.org
PrivacyRights.org www.privacyrights.org - Discussed privacy issues
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