U.S. beats Europe in online privacy protection, study finds

From...

by Joris Evers

(IDG) -- Although European privacy rules are stricter than those in the U.S., a study by Consumers International concludes that European Internet sites are outperformed where privacy is concerned.

Customer information is regularly sold without consent and Web users often receive unsolicited e-mail, Consumers International states in a study that will be released at a news conference in London tomorrow, de Consumentenbond, the Dutch Consumer Union confirmed Wednesday.

Consumers International, a worldwide federation of 263 consumer organizations, reviewed 750 commercial Web sites in Europe and the U.S. The report showed that two thirds of these sites collect personal information from their visitors and 60 percent lack a privacy statement.

	MESSAGE BOARD
Security on the Net

Possibly more troubling is that only 9 percent of the European sites ask permission to sell the information the customer provided, a mere 20 percent ask for approval before adding the customer to a mailing list, and 15% gather personal information in a way invisible to the Web user.

Popular U.S. sites did better in the study. About half ask for approval to sell the customers' details -- although this is still an unsatisfactory number according to Consumer International.

IDG.net INFOCENTER NWFusion main page Network World Fusion's product reviews Net.Worker: Resources for teleworkers Free daily newsletters Related IDG.net Stories Key lawmakers predict passage of privacy law Vendor, advocacy groups dig trenches in online privacy war High-tech trade group unveils Net privacy principles

The federation also found that some sites transfer customers' credit card data over unsecured connections.

"It's a remarkable fact, but despite all the rules and regulations we have in Europe, North American Web sites are doing better" on the privacy front, said Ewald van Kouwen, spokesman for de Consumentenbond, a member of Consumers International.

According to Van Kouwen this doesn't mean Europe needs lawsuits and powerful privacy activists, like the U.S. "Consumers International will call for European governments to take more responsibility in enforcing the rules," he said.

Consumers International advises Internet users to protect their privacy with technical aides, Van Kouwen said. Users could set their Web browser to decline so-called cookies, which can be used to track Web surfing habits, and use software that allows anonymous Web surfing.

High-tech trade group unveils Net privacy principles
January 19, 2001
FTC seeks input on new privacy guidelines
December 21, 2000
Privacy questions loom as wireless grows
December 19, 2000
Toysrus.com faces online privacy inquiry
December 14, 2000
Regardless of presidential outcome, online privacy law anticipated
December 1, 2000

Key lawmakers predict passage of privacy law
(Computerworld)
Vendor, advocacy groups dig trenches in online privacy war
(Computerworld)
High-tech trade group unveils Net privacy principles
(IDG.net)
Is Internet voting a threat to privacy?
(PCWorld.com)
AEA adopts new stance on privacy
(InfoWorld.com)
FTC plans seminar on online retailing rules
(Computerworld)
Consumer advocate Nader calls for protection group
(InfoWorld.com)
U.S. to kick off series of safe harbor briefings
(IDG.net)

Consumers International in London
De Consumentenbond in The Hague, Netherlands

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.