Ways to protect your privacy

• The Anonymous Cookie Program by Luckman Interactive provides a very good approach to disabling cookies. The program allows you to hide your stored cookies that you can turn on and off. New cookies are stored on your RAM instead of on your hard drive so that when you shut down your computer, all the cookies get dumped. Luckman Interactive is no longer in business but the program can be downloaded for free at http://www.filedudes.lvdi.net/win95/cookies/ (no longer available as of 07/2008).

Everyday

• Question why people want your personal information. Ask why they want it and what they will do with it. Reject rote answers such as "We’ve always asked for it," or "It’s company policy." These are not acceptable answers; they are simply pat phrases that have little meaning. If the person doesn’t know why the company needs your information or what they plan to do with it, ask to speak to someone who does.

• When you are satisfied that your personal information is being collected for a legitimate purpose, give only the minimum required. For example, you may need to fill out a product warranty card to ensure that your product remains under warranty for a period of time. But you don’t need to provide any additional information that may be sought for marketing purposes and is unrelated to your purchase.

• Ask who gets to see your personal information. Will anyone outside of the organization have access to it? Challenge the sale, rental or exchange of your personal information to third parties for secondary uses beyond the immediate transaction.

• Look for an opt-out box on any form seeking your personal information. If you don’t want your information added to mailing lists or passed on to third parties such as direct marketers, check it off. If you can’t find an opt-out box, create your own.

• Whenever possible, pay with cash. This will minimize the amount of information circulating about your likes, dislikes, purchases, reading habits and so forth. New developments in the area of stored value (cash cards) and digital cash will make it easier in the years to come.

• Do not give your social security number unless it is required by law or legitimately needed. Challenge any denial of service when you refuse to give your number. Talk to the manager and protest against the practice of routinely asking for your number. Threaten to take your business elsewhere.