Privacy Consumers and the Internet Introduction A trend of great concern is the partnership of major consumer directory services with companies that compile so called “public-records” databases. Such databases compile records from a wide variety of government agencies, including courts, vital statistics departments, tax rolls, elections records, or agencies that regulate professional licenses. In addition, some companies also purchase data that is mined from questionnaires, applications for credit cards, manufacturer’s warranty information and other …showed first 75 words of 3636 total…

…showed last 75 words of 3636 total…first got online within the past six months), parents, older Americans, and women. In some instances, these fears are associated with lower participation in some online activities, especially commercial and social activities. There is no way to know yet whether these groups will eventually become more comfortable and less fearful in the online world or whether their wariness will permanently limit their use of the Internet until their concerns about protecting personal information are met.