Consumers should be wary of sharing personal information via questionnaires or when signing up for e-mail announcements. Many sites sell that information to companies for marketing purposes without your permission or knowledge. If you're surfing a medical site to gather information about a certain health condition, for instance, that information could be sold to an insurer. The concept of sharing data is considered a good business model in some circles. For those companies, your personal information is actually worth more than the products they're selling.
Trustworthy sites post their privacy policies and security procedures online.
And Congress is considering privacy legislation that will regulate financial services sites. 2000 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Our Privacy Policy .