Progress in Internet Privacy Policies: A Review of Survey of U.S. Companies from 1998 through 2006

Abstract

Privacy on the Internet has been of increasing concern with the explosive growth of electronic commerce. A series of past surveys by the Federal Trade Commission and other organizations measured the implementation of fair information practices and industry self-regulation of privacy. This report includes two important additional factors in the review—enforcement and simplicity. Using historical studies and this more comprehensive analysis, this article reviews the current Internet privacy polices of the 50 largest U.S. companies in 2003 and updates this review for 2006.