Team A: A group of senior managers at major e-commerce corporations who have
formed a consortium to share data gathered from visits to their Web sites. They
argue that consumers have already shown themselves willing to give away
information about themselves in exchange for benefits such as informed
recommendations on new purchases, and that such data-sharing is already in place
for "club" cards from supermarkets, "Air Miles", and credit
information. They offer opt-out services and their policies will be posted in
full on all their Web pages.
Team B: A consumer research group, who argues that the accumulated loss of
information is a considerable threat to privacy, that requiring the consumer to
opt out rather than opt in is unacceptable, and that people don't read the fine
print on Web pages.
Last updated Jan. 02, 2003.