When I stop paying money, the Times stops delivering the paper to my doorstep. But if I stop reading the Times online, it still has my information. When you pay for a TV set, you have no idea what the seller is going to do with the payment he's received. And you probably don't care. Presumably, you have weighed the risks and benefits involved and have decided that the use of the television is worth the loss of the cash.
Personal information is a little more, well, personal than money.
Emily Frye Frye is an Evanston, Ill., attorney who specializes in Internet security and electronic commerce. Computerworld Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Computerworld Inc. is prohibited.