Why Internet Privacy Matters to Consumer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why Internet Privacy Matters to Consumer - Essay Example As Cronin points out there is billions of customer data existing on computers across the world today, including bank accounts, credit card accounts, mortgage information, retirement fund details, medical claims and much more, and 'the web seamlessly links it all together' (Cronin, 1). Search Engines are a great mine of information. Privacy concerns range from popular search engines like Google and Yahoo which track IP addresses, time of search and search details. When search history, registration details and email details are taken together, you can have a comprehensive personal profile of any user. Cronin in her essay contends that many users 'are not aware that their online behavior is so readily recorded and analyzed' (Cronin, 2). Legal bodies in many countries have addressed the privacy issues, though this has not translated to new legislation. For example, a body in Norway has stated that Google's retaining for information for 18-24 months is too long a duration. Cronin argues that 'unless there is some external pressure to place limits on how much information is collected, or how it is being used, it seems that data mining practice will be fine tuned and expanded' (Cronin, 3). E-commerce sites command personal information including credit card information and purchase history.