The newness of the Web, its interactive nature, and the fact that users often must pay to download electronic mail communications influence those attitudes, Pitkow suggests. This is caused by a lack of explanation about the terms and conditions for using the information, as well as confusion about what is being collected. Nearly three-quarters of the users said sites asking for information should specify how the data will be used, and 57 percent said sites need to disclose that they are gathering information. The survey found strong beliefs that users ought to be able to have private communications on the Internet and use private payment systems. Significant numbers wanted new laws to protect on-line privacy.
Web commerce appears to be growing.
Approximately 20 percent of the respondents said they had purchased something on the Web, up from 11 percent a year ago. Computer hardware and software, books, music and travel were the items most likely to be purchased. Navigating the Web concerned 14 percent of the respondents.