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the pages which he views; it will only know which pages are viewed, how often are
viewed and the IP address of the computer. This information can
be used to infer
the things people are interested in and to target advertising to those people based
on those inferences.
How to avoid cookies?
No files are destroyed or compromised by cookies. Cookies contain only text
and cannot damage any computer. It is easy to block cookies. The new browsers
have the capability to turn off the cookies and the computer can stop accepting any
cookies. There are number of programs such as Webwasher, Cache and
Cookiewasher which can remove footprints. These programs are available and can
be easily downloaded from the Internet. Encryption and Decryption can also ensure
personal privacy over the Net. In fact it is more desirable that companies make use
of encryption method during their online interactions (Smith, 1996).
Blocking all cookies prevents some online services for cyber shopping. Also,
preventing a browser from accepting cookies does not make the consumer
anonymous, it just makes it more difficult to track usage. IDcide, AdSubtract and
Naviscope are free programs available at www.pcworld.com/downloads
that can
help to block cookies. Users can also make their computer undetectable by using
ZoneAlarm, a firewall free for personal use.
Selling Personal Information by Information Brokers
Many companies act as information brokers and collect information from
various public record online databases and sell the information to various interested
parties. At times, this is done for information entrepreneurialism (Kling, 1996)
which refers to the dynamic attempts of organizations to take advantage of
technology and principal social relationships to gain both organizational and
competitive advantage. Computer-based information entrepreneurialism made
significant strides in the early 1990s (Ackerman et al., 1996). Many companies
consider personal data of customers to be a corporate asset that can be sold
(Borrus, 2000; Lehman, 2000). Information broker companies use data-intensive
techniques like profiling and data mining to aid in precision marketing. This has led