Privacy Concerns Grow As Marketers Flock to Social Networking
By Gary Kibel

With the explosion of social networking and user-generated content on the Internet, marketers are taking advantage of this growing trend. According to a Forrester Research survey of over 90 marketers, approximately 20% of those polled used social networking and user-generated content in connection with marketing campaigns in March 2007, and that number is expected to rise to over 60% by the end of this year. But as more consumers use these services, there is also a growing concern regarding privacy as more personal information is being shared. More...

Tip: Every Web site collecting personally identifiable information (PII) should have a posted privacy statement.

The Federal Trade Commission’s Fair Information Practices are the closest thing the industry has to an online standard for privacy practices, which are based on the principals of full disclosure. Every Web site is unique and a privacy statement should reflect a site’s unique data-handling and collection practices. Privacy statements build consumer confidence. When consumers believe a site is trustworthy, they are more likely to engage in valuable online activities. More...

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