Many factors are important in decisions about information disclosure. When deciding whether to provide information to Web sites, respondents reported that the most important factor is whether or not information will be shared with other companies and organizations. Acceptance of the use of persistent identifiers varies according to their purpose. Internet users dislike automatic data transfer. While respondents said they are interested in tools that make using the Web more convenient, most do not want these tools to transfer information about them to Web sites automatically.
Internet users dislike unsolicited communications.
Respondents indicated a strong desire to avoid unsolicited communications resulting from providing information to Web sites. A joint program of privacy policies and privacy seals seemingly provides a comparable level of user confidence as that provided by privacy laws. Respondents were given a scenario in which a Web site with interesting information related to a favorite hobby asks for a visitor's name and postal address in order to provide free pamphlets and coupons. On the other hand, when asked about online privacy seal programs without mentioning any specific brand names, respondents showed that they do not yet understand how Internet seal programs work. The small number of people reporting violations may well result from users limiting their Internet use out of fear of privacy violations.