On Friday, privacy groups called for an immediate end to all online profiling, the practice of collecting data about a user's surfing habits. Profiling hit the news last week when RealNetworks was discovered secretly storing information about its users. Good luck on this tough topic. We recently explained the good, the bad and the ugly of personalization, and how difficult it is to regulate. Click for more .
Vendors claim profiling is necessary to deliver a truly customized experience to the consumer.
Privacy advocates contend it's invasive and want Web users to provide consent before they release any information. Click for more . A beta of its new Communicator 5.0 browser will ship next month, almost a year behind schedule. Reasons for Netscape's fall include its lack of XML support. Ironically, it is Netscape's parent company, AOL, that could prove to be Netscape's savior.