The Federal Trade Commission has found this to be true. This includes the type of merchandise they buy, what websites they go to, and how often they make purchases online. The Federal Trade Commission is currently looking into the types of profiles that companies are establishing about their consumers. The FTC said that many businesses have privacy concerns due to profiling. Limiting personal information A lot of the information gathered can be limited by the consumer.
Many online sites ask the consumer for information before they can make purchases.
The consumer is not obligated to give all of this information to the website. Rules to help maintain online privacy Online Privacy Alliance has established some rules that can help consumers protect their privacy. First, they suggest that the consumer look for a privacy policy on Web pages. This policy tells the consumer what type of information they are gathering on them and what the business is planning on using that information for. A lot of companies will also give the consumer an option to restrict the use of their information for purposes that they do not agree with.