Privacy and Internet Cookies
Monday, May 5th, 2008WSJ - May 5, 2008 - A13
The WSJ again raises good questions about how marketers track online behavior via web cookies. According to the author, the key questions remain:
- How are personal data used?
- Are our names, addresses, and financial and health records really secret?
- Is anonymity permanent?
Some advocacy groups contend we should allow surfers to “opt out” of cookie tracking just like we can now opt out of direct marketing phone calls with the No Call List. Still, the $20 Billion spent on web advertising is the engine that drives the “free” Internet. How many of us would willingly trade free use for enhanced privacy? No more free email or free web searching?
Is better disclosure the answer? One WSJ site offers its own model of full tracking cookie disclosure. Clearly, the tension between usability and privacy continues to frustrate web users and marketers alike.
Once again, the best interim answer seems to be to randomize your critical private financial data and accept the loss of complete anonymity.