Officials at partnersnprayer.org couldn't be reached for comment on its privacy policy. Many cyber-supplicants praise prayer chains and say they help so many souls precisely because they have a multiplier effect. Some regard the Web as more confidential than their local communities, reasoning that nobody nearby will ever see an Internet posting. But some clerics recoil. Others are plainly nondenominational.
Some sites used in chains delete obviously sensitive material or keep identities anonymous.
But many don't, nor do they verify the accuracy of submissions. For the most part, lawyers say it is the person posting the item and not the site that is liable for defamatory information. The sites are multiplying fast, and marketers have already spotted the commercial potential. A study of the Web sites of 1,309 congregations funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts and released in December found that 18 percent had a place where people could post or respond to prayer requests, and that 22 percent were considering adding one. Ric Alonso, a co-owner, says Ekra receives a commission ranging from 2 percent to 25 percent of sales every time a user clicks on a commercial link, plus 2 cents every time a user clicks one of the listed search engines.