Saturday, April 28, 2007

Privacy and Security Policies

Have you read the Web Site's Privacy and Security Policies?

I suggest you do before placing that order!

Every reputable e-commerce web site offers information about how it processes your order. It is usually listed in the section entitled “Privacy Policy.” You can find out if the merchant intends to share your information with a third party or affiliate company. Do they require these companies to refrain from marketing to their customers? If not, you can expect to receive “spam” (unsolicited e-mail) and even mail or phone solicitations from these companies.
You can also learn what type of information is gathered by the web site, and how it is — or is not — shared with others. The online merchant’s data security practices are also often explained in the Privacy Policy, or perhaps a separate Security Policy.

However, remember that a strong privacy policy and/or membership in a web-seal program don’t guarantee that the web merchant will protect your privacy for all time. Policies can change. Given all of these uncertainties, you will want to think about the sensitivity of the data that is being compiled about you when you shop online. We cannot prescribe the best approach to take. Each consumer has a different interpretation of what is considered “sensitive.”

Here are the do's and do'nts to keep in mind before you place that order:
  1. Do not give our your Social Security Number. It is never a requirement for placing an order at an e-commerce web site. There is no need for the merchant to ask for it. Giving out your Social Security number could lead to having your identity stolen. (See PRC Fact Sheet 17, "Coping with Identity Theft," www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs17-it.htm.)
  2. Disclose ONLY the bare facts when you place an order online. When placing an order, there is certain information that you must provide to the web merchant such as your name and address. Often, a merchant will try to obtain more information about you. They may ask questions about your leisure lifestyle or annual income. This information is used to target you for marketing purposes. It can lead to "spam" or even direct mail and telephone solicitations.
  3. Don't answer any question you feel is not required to process your order. Often, the web site will mark which questions need to be answered with an asterisk (*). Should a company require information such as social security number, bank account number, financial statements or monthly income or anything else that you are not comfortable sharing, leave the site and find a different company for the product you seek.

DO NOT SAY YOU WERE NOT WARNED! SHOP UNTIL YOU DROP BUT ALWAYS SHOP SMART!