The Hundredth Window: Protecting Your Privacy and Security In the Age of the Internet

Reveals the Internet's potential for invasion of privacy and fraud and offers strategies for protecting one's self online.

Despite the increasingly sophisticated software designed to insure privacy online, there is an astonishing lack of security, report Jennings and Fena, cofounders of Truste, a company involved in promoting Internet privacy. According to the authors, any information transferred over the Internet can easily be accessed by hackers, criminals and private businesses. (The hundredth window refers to the notion that if you lock 99 out of 100 windows, a thief will enter the 100th.) The book explains in detail how Web site marketers, service firms and recreational sites obtain and use consumer information. While future federal legislation may provide more protection, it is up to consumers to actively protect their personal data for now. According to the authors, the Web sites with the best privacy policies include Yahoo, Excite, IBM and Playboy, while sites such as J. Crew and Penthouse do little to reassure online visitors that their privacy is being protected. Jennings and Fena suggest looking for Web sites that prominently display their privacy policies and advise against posting full names in e-mail addresses. While it offers a solid overview on the issue of online privacy, the book is likely to be more valuable to consumers than companies. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Privacy advocates Jennings and Fena, founders of the Internet watchdog group TRUSTe, provide an informative look at the typical day of a high-tech user, noting the myriad ways in which such an individual exposes information about personal income, health, buying preferences, and daily activities. They counsel online consumers on how to protect their privacy by encrypting e-mail, checking for security provisions on Web sites, and updating browsers. They examine the relative security of popular Web sites and consider both the particular vulnerability of children and how parents can protect theirs from online predators. One chapter, in particular, explores issues of free speech and pornography on the Internet. Jennings and Fena offer sound advice on chat rooms, cookies, and online purchasing with credit cards, and they also look at potential future threats to privacy. An insightful overview of how the meaning of privacy has changed with the growing use of technology and the Internet. Vanessa Bush
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