Some messages contained subscribers' names, phone numbers, and medical account numbers. The World-Wide Web has brought a greater sense of urgency to privacy concerns. Not only can the Web disseminate information in preexisting databases, it can also gather new information on individuals and their habits. If you've ever authored a Web page, sent e-mail to a Usenet list, or anonymously ftp'd a file from a server, a record of that is available in a log file or a search engine somewhere. That information may be only a few mouse clicks away.
Many websites collect personal information and pass it to advertisers.
Hosting providers are generally free to sell customer data at their own discretion because few rules prevent them from doing so. Among the websites that sell personal information are some marketing companies, retail stores, and even the federal government. For example, Network Solutions sold marketing companies its Web database, including the company's name and street address, and information about the Web site's activity company. Although Network Solutions claimed they remove email addresses from the data and do not permit the information to be used for email marketing, this data could be used for something other than simply obtaining an address, privacy advocates say. Many consumers are aware of the need for legislation to protect and guarantee consumers' rights to privacy.