From...

by Leslie Crawford

(IDG) -- Prepare yourself, because you are about to read yet one more article giving airplay to Jason Catlett.

If Catlett's name doesn't ring a loud bell, it should at least elicit a tinkle. Whether on network or cable television, in national magazines or local newspapers, on commercial or public radio, or certainly on the Internet, if there's a story about your privacy being violated online – particularly by Web businesses – you can be sure that Catlett is sounding off in all of his vitriolic, sound-biting glory.

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Therein lies a curious paradox. The man who has made it his life's work to defend an individual's right to privacy could only be more public if he were to bungee-jump in a spangled gorilla suit from a Times Square billboard.

Simply click on the "Media Coverage" link to his Web site, Junkbusters, and you're inundated with 12 pages listing hundreds of his media appearances, from Good Morning America to the Wall Street Journal to National Public Radio to the Orange County Register.

The Junkbusters site bills Catlett as "a leading authority on privacy and marketing." A visiting scholar at Columbia University, he speaks frequently at international conferences, consults with Net businesses, and has testified on privacy issues before the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce. You can also click on his photo (take your pick between small or full-screen). With his handsomely rumpled look – unkempt blond hair, thick black eyebrows, preppy blue suit with red tie, and rather wacky shy smile – you seem to see a nutty professor, a cross between Sting and Gene Wilder.

So who is this unmasked man, really? He's an Australian expatriate computer scientist who received a doctorate from the University of Sydney before moving to the states in 1992. He worked in the technical staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories until 1996, when he left to start Junkbusters. A Web site and a corporation with one full-time employee, Junkbusters is also a piece of free software (formally called the Internet Junkbuster Proxy) that Catlett developed to let users blank out intrusions like banner ads and cookies.

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Like many Internet startup presidents, Catlett on most days runs his company from the, uhh, privacy of his own home, on the outskirts of New York City. He is willing to divulge the following personal data: He wakes at 8 a.m., eats Cheerios with nonfat milk and a piece of fruit for breakfast, loves dogs and is allergic to cats. He is single, has no children, loves the theater (Racine and Shakespeare), rarely watches television, and works until about 11:30 most nights. Sporting an infectious, goofy laugh, he is a dropper of historic names; he quotes the likes of Winston Churchill ("Do not let us speak of darker days; let us rather speak of sterner days") and his "patron saint," Thomas Paine ("We have it in our power to begin the world over again"). He's a master when it comes to the ability to distill complex technical information into a layperson's terms. And his distillations are often infused with wit, as in this remark from a recent speech: "What will consumers do when cyberspace becomes a kind of Orwellian Cheers bar – where everyone knows your name, even the people you don't want to?"

As president of Junkbusters, Catlett says he aims to effect profound change in government policy and inform users how to protect their online privacy from corporate busybodies, a.k.a. marketers. "It was something I felt I had to do," says Catlett. "I genuinely believe privacy is going to be one of the great social issues of the 21st century." Catlett asserts he had no intention, and surely no idea, of getting so much publicity. "It's simply a matter of being one of the few voices on a topic that's tremendously important," he says. "My initial concept was deplorably vague. All I knew was that the Internet and privacy were on a collision course."

Catlett is a relentless advocate, speaking out on everything from e-mail pornography to illicit software that gathers intimate data on shoppers for telemarketing companies. As a matter of fact, Catlett claims, it was telemarketing that ignited his cause celebre. "Living in Australia, I barely got 10 telemarketing calls in my life," he says. "As soon as I had my phone connected in the U.S., I had 10 in three days. It wasn't entirely a welcoming experience. I love this country; it truly is a land of exhilarating opportunity. I just wish opportunity wouldn't call so frequently during dinnertime."

Catlett, though, is an unusual breed of advocate. He may be fighting the good fight and giving out free software and information, but – as with most hardworking Internet entrepreneurs – his services are for sale. When questioned about his corporation's for-profit status, Catlett makes no apologies. "We do make a profit, there's nothing wrong with that," he says. "I consult with companies who want to do the right thing and speak at conferences for outrageous fees."

With so much attention, Catlett is on the verge of becoming the Ralph Nader of the Net. "Jason is one of the leaders in the privacy communities," says Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. "He's tremendously effective. He gets things done." Indeed, by bringing intense scrutiny to bear on such high-profile companies as Microsoft, RealNetworks and DoubleClick, Catlett has brought significant privacy issues to the mainstream. In addition, by fanning media fires, he's helped force companies to reform.

For all his good works, however, foes suggest that there may be a bit of Mr. Hyde lurking beneath Dr. Privacy's seemingly well-intentioned facade. Some who've been on the receiving end of Catlett's attacks suggest that he's so quick to run to the press with accusations of abuse that he risks maligning companies inappropriately.

"There was a fair amount of misinformation circulated by the media, and Jason Catlett was part of it," says Allan Mayer, spokesman for RealNetworks, which recently came under a firestorm of criticism for data-gathering practices by its RealJukebox software. "If you're looking for me to say Jason is a menace to society, I'm not going to say that. But I wish he were a bit more temperate."

Jamie Rosen, chairman and founder of Comet Systems, tells of a similar experience. The press ran with a story – primarily provided by Catlett – that the company's Comet Cursor was secretly gathering user data. "He talked to the press before he talked with us," says Rosen, who adds that the mainstream media – often not technologically savvy – reported a story that proved to be only partially accurate and very damaging.

"Our usual practice is to talk to the companies concerned before the press," says Catlett, "but that's not an imperative." Rather than "leaking information too quickly," Catlett says, he's exposing practices that usually should have been disclosed earlier. And if corporations would like Catlett to work it out on the playground instead of being such a tattletale, so what? That's how Catlett plays. After all, if you leave it up to the kids to govern themselves, they'll just continue to act as bullies. Catlett points to industry-sponsored privacy organization, TRUSTe – "more of a lap dog than a watchdog" – as evidence of self-regulation's failure.

"I feel sometimes Jason is going out there running to the press without offering a solution that will work," says Dave Steer, a TRUSTe spokesperson. "He's fueling the flames without putting out the fire." More disturbing, says Steer, Catlett the flamethrower "isn't an advocate, he's an entrepreneur. He has a way of making a buck, and that way has something to do with privacy."

But like others who grumble about Catlett, even Steer is quick to offer a good word on his behalf. "I do have my criticisms of him," says Steer, "but Jason is a really important part of the framework. Even though some days it pains me to say it, I don't want to see Jason Catlett go away."