The Fear Factor
Online consumers are not averse to revealing personal information, but they are concerned with how companies use that data, according to a new report from Cyber Dialogue, a New York-based Internet customer relationship management company.
Among the study’s findings is that 69% of Internet users have unknowingly signed up for e-mail distribution lists and more than 40% don’t know or understand what cookies are or how they work.
Cookies are software devices that can track the Web sites that users have visited, often without their knowledge.
In 1999, 46% of online users reported that they accepted all cookies within their browsers, a significant rise from 19% in 1997. In addition, more than 50% of online users believe it’s acceptable for Web sites to share information as long as this data enables customized content. But 49% of them feel a site that shares this information with other sites directly invades their privacy.
The Cyber Dialogue report was based on in-depth interviews with more than 1,500 Internet users.
