But for the first time, it also will look at how hard the policies are to understand. To provide a notice that most Americans cannot understand and argue that that is sufficient is utter nonsense. All of the sites analyzed have been involved in privacy controversies, and all but two were among the 20 most visited sites on the Web, according to Media Metrix. The policy, when printed out, takes eight pages. It has 3,405 words and 167 sentences.
Some passages raise more questions than they answer.
Hochhauser concedes that many consumers are used to dealing with fine print and legal language in contracts. Consumers also have a general idea of what to expect, and a long history of consumer law protects against many abuses. But that is not the case on the Internet, privacy advocates say. Instead, consumers must wade through language drafted by high-priced lawyers. We need laws to protect people's privacy.