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On Thu, 3 Sep 1998, Nancy Tipton wrote:

> --------> This message was posted to the ONLINE-NEWSPAPERS list. <--------
> 
> Folks,
> For the first time, we are starting to ask our Web readers about themselves
> and we're wondering if there is a requirement that we have a privacy policy
> posted online. I recall the FCC mentioning that it would have a study on
> adult online privacy this summer, but I can't seem to put my hands on it.
> Has the FCC made any recommendations about legislation in this area?
> 
> If it isn't a requirement, what are your feelings about such statements. Do
> they make the public feel better about giving up personal info if they know
> it is for the newspaper's use only and will never be given or sold to any
> third party?
> 
> Can you point me to good examples of policies? Any thoughts on the subject?
> 
> Thanks for any help.
> 

On-line privacy is getting to be more and more of an issue.  There is
less concern about the demographic analysis, but lately there have been
people pouring through thousands of e-mail addresses to create lists
for unsolicited e-mail.

I have a simple solution.  I charge $50 for the reciept of unsolicited
e-mail (they are using my drive, my time, my ISP account, and my expense).
If I don't want the e-mail because it's some MLM scheme, I send them
a bill, offering to have them collect the fee from whoever sold them
the list.  I also send a copy of the e-mail and the bill to the postmaster
and root account of the originating machine.  They are often removed from
the machine before they can get any responses.

Lately, there has been a tendency to use bogus or false e-mail addresses
and to only accept returen mail.  This means that they not only want me
to accept their advertizing at my expense, but they want me to send them
a "stop sending me this junk" via postal service - spending my own money
to do it.

At minimum, the FCC needs to create some guidelines against falsifying
an e-mail address.  If you want to use an alias or forwarder, fine, but
the account should be a valid e-mail account.

As for collecting anonymous cookies, and keeping track of how many of what
kinds of banner ads i click so you can give me more of what I like, go for
it.  It is a bit amusing to see an ad for Microsoft Windows 98 on a page
of the "alt.destroy.microsoft" newsgroup of dejanews.
 
> ______________________________
> Nancy Tipton, online supervisor
> Albuquerque Journal (http://www.abqjournal.com)
> P.O. Drawer J
> Albuquerque, N.M. 87103
> (505) 823-3886 (voice) --  (505 823-3994 (fax)
> 
> 
> 
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	Rex Ballard
	http://www.access.digex.net/~rballard
	this correspondence is personal opinion
	and does not necessarily reflect any corporate view.
	copyright 1998  - Rex Ballard



From rballard@access4.digex.net Sun Jan 11 19:52:20 1998
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