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Show Sunday, June 30, 1996 7F. Standard-Examiner Websites can make you toss your (cyber-) cookies By JOHN SCHWARTZ Washington Post ASHINCGTON- Had enough cookies yet? Cyber-cookies, I mean:the colorfully named snippets of software that report selective information about you to World Wide Websites that youvisit. Cookies help on-line marketers get to know you, whether you wantthem to ornot. To see this kind of data-dredging action, go to www. i3x.com/cgi-bin/cdt/ snoop.pl, which is the Center for Democracy and Technology's Webprivacy site. As soon as you click your way onto the page,it displays a bit of personal would require those people collecting data to let Web surfers know that the data is being collected, tell them whether it will be reused or resold, and give them the right to opt out of the collection game. “These rights are part of a privacy zone that every American is entitled to,” Markey told me. Markey noted that Congress upped privacy rights for video rentals because journalists got hold of Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork’s viewing list, but has yet to act on similar protections for our vitally important medical records or our on-line explorations. “In the World Wide Web era, Judge Bork will be accompanied by hundreds of thousands and millions of other people who will find that their privacy has been compromised,” Markey said. A spokesman forthe direct marketing industry said Markey has a good idea butis going aboutit the wrong way. Jerry Cerasale, senior vice president for governmentaffairs at the Direct Marketing Association, said, “We agree with Congressman Markeythat people should have notice that information might be exchanged and they should have the opportunity to say no.” But the association wants voluntary guidelines administered bythe industry, not federal laws: “Wejust think there's not a need right nowto expand the (government) jurisdiction in this area,” Cerasale said. Marc Rotenberg, who runsthe Electronic Privacy Information Center here in Washington, insists that Markey’s efforts don’t go far enough. “Notice and Places to surf consent is not the solution,” he said. “The answer is anonymous transactions.” The same anonymity we enjoy when we > The Center for Democracy and Technology's privacy demonstration site can be found at www. 13x.com/cgi-bin /cdt/snoop.pl. > Visit it and it will display to walk into a diner and buy a you ail the information that you hamburgerwith.cash, said Rotenberg, should apply on the Net. Soundssimple. But of course, nothing is simple anymore. I'd bet on a compromise. have electronically disclosed about yourself. > The site also links you to “The Anonymizer,” a wed site that strips away your personal information when you pass through, leaving no personal trace on subsequently visited pages (www.anonymizer.com). John Schwartz’ e-mail address is schwartj (at) twp.com. Washington Post - information you provided just by showing up — in mycase, it was my e-mail address, myaffiliation with The Washington Post and the kind of computer I own. Othersites can collect far more information, by recording your transactions — whether you boughta coat, or looked at a dirty picture. Goodbyeto the famously funny New Yorkercartoon that explained, “On the Internet, no one knowsyou're a dog.” One site now displays a twist on the joke: “On today’s Internet,” it reads, “people do know you're a dog.” “Mostpeople really do use the Webwith an illusion of anonymity,” said Janlori Goldman, CDT’s deputy director, “and we wantto shatter that” illusion. It’s easy enough to see why companies would love to have this kind of information: the more they know about potential customers, the more accurately they can aim their direct marketing pitches. Cookies - the name was simplygiven arbitrarily — were designed into the system in part to help commercialize the process by allowing Website operators keep track oftheir visitors. Yet many people are growing increasingly uncomfortable with the myriad ways that surfing the Webreveals ourinterests. Buying a racy magazine at the newsstand, even with a credit card, remains the buyer’s business. Visiting a Website for that same magazine could put the cyber-voyeur’s e-mail address into a database that might be resold to other companiesthat will in turn send unbidden solicitations of their own. The same, of course, goes for visits to sites with political, religious or other sensitive themes. Already, there is free software A) Most banks will lendyou only 80% ofyour home equity. floating around the "Netthatlets you disable cookies so that you leave fewertracks. That doesn’t completely close the question, however. Earlier this year a study by the nonprofit Center for Media Education and other groups warned ofon-line sites for youngsters that required them to divulge personal information, such as e-mail addresses, birthdays and parents’ occupations, before they can play gamesor enter contests. - Now,the governmentis ponderingthe issue. Earlier this month the Federal Trade Commission held two days of hearings on this topic, and gave stern instructions to the industries doing business on the B) Bank Onewill lendyou up to 100% ofyour home equity. Webto find ways to better safeguard the privacy of on-liners. - And Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., introducedlegislation that would push industry to develop and implementprivacy tools for on-line consumers.It —_ ‘ie EBS | i I| TO 5 mer iy H \ , i 'a | What's yourhome worth? Depends on which bankyouask. With a Bank One HomeEquity Lineof Credit,” you can getcredit for up to 100% of the Loan equity in yourhome — up to $100,000. 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