Web Mining Seminar

1. Web Mining Seminar WS 2001/2002 Privacy Issues In Web Mining By Fang Wang Web mining seminar

2. The definition of privacy • Warren & Brandeis: ‘The right to be let alone’. What is exactly the Information Privacy? The right to control information about ourselves. • Edward R. Buck Relating to information about a person and, specifically the rights of an individual to restrict access or dissemination of information about himself or herself. Web mining seminar

3. Online Profiling • network advertising industry, which uses information collected from web sites to improve the efficiency and quality of online marketing. • Aim: online advertisers to record online behaviour for the purpose of producing targeted advertising • The technologiesmake it possible • involve both anonymous information as well as personally identifiable information. Web mining seminar

4. The privacy problem is extremely concerned in online profiling • creating a detailed history of online behaviour that can attribute to an offline person. • Acquisition of customer data may include: preferences transactions pre-sales support demographic information Web mining seminar

5. The privacy problem is extremely concerned in online profiling • Some of these data may: Be purchased from a third party Be held in multiple disparate databases Be that serve completely different purposes Be of varying quality with respect to error rates, reliability, coverage Web mining seminar

6. The privacy problem is extremely concerned in online profiling • the advent of the World Wide Web had made it possible to collect and utilize information at the unprecedented level of the individual consumer • This caused in the unprecedented concerns in privacy privacy implications are more difficult and complex Web mining seminar

7. Protections for Privacy ! ? • Anonymous ? The companies correlate personally identifiable information (PII), such as a name and address, with consumer profiles This can be done in two ways --by giving an online advertiser PII --by combining information collected online with other sources of information consumers are at risk Web mining seminar

8. Protections for Privacy ! ? • Online advertising companies are using different methods to collect as much as possible privacy information • online advertising giant DoubleClick states that ‘DoubleClick does not use your name, address, email address, or phone number to deliver Internet ads. DoubleClick does use information about your browser and web surfing to determine which ads to show your browser’. • However, DoubleClick does admit to asking for personal information on a purely voluntary basis. Web mining seminar

9. Privacy Policy ! ? • Most online profiling companies have • example DoubleClick Inc. attempts to obtain personal information is through one of its websites: www.netDeals.com When you register on NetDeals you provide us with personally identifiable information such as your name, home address and e-mail. We combine that information with other information about you that is available to us. This includes other personally identifiable information and certain non-personally-identifiable information Web mining seminar

10. Privacy Policy ! ? • Example: Amazon.com‘s privacy policy • We personalize your shopping experience by using your purchases to shape our recommendations about the books, CDs and other merchandise that might be of interest to you. We also monitor customer traffic patterns and site usage to help us develop the design and layout of the store. • I t is not in itself harmful, but when info. joined to other data....... Web mining seminar

11. Privacy Policy ! ? • Opt-out -- Opt-out procedures vary greatly-answer inquiries -- the opportunity for choice offered by online profiling companies remains unknown Web mining seminar

12. Privacy Policy ! ? • Self-Regulatory efforts the industry appears to be making a concerted effort to self-regulate -- to fall short of satisfying the information practices: management -- insufficient -- Strong privacy protections enforced by independent agencies are necessary Web mining seminar

13. Privacy Policy ! ? • Hard to find on the websites • changes: suggestion that customers should check back periodically to see if the company has decided to use previously collected information in a different way Web mining seminar

14. Privacy Policy ! ? • Online profiling techniques are becoming more sophisticated, yet privacy protections haven't increased • privacy policies are not well read or well understood Web mining seminar

15. Some Surveys on Privacy • GVU ( Graphic, Visualization and Usability Center) §87% of Web users think they should have ”complete control” over demographic information captured. § 71% believe there should be new laws to protect their privacy online § 63% of those who do not provide personal information to websites because out of a lack of trust § 94% of Web users have declined to provide personal information at least once § 40% have fabricated false demographic data when requested by a website § 81% of Web users do not want websites to resell personal information Web mining seminar

16. Some Surveys on Privacy • the Electronic Privacy Information Center of the 100 top web sites found that less than half had privacy policies, and those with policies offered little real protection. Still, anonymity plays a critical role in online privacy as it gives individuals the ability to control the disclosure of their identity. Web mining seminar

17. Some Surveys on Privacy • Falsification of Data:Many users have resorted to falsifying data in order to obtain access to the web site • New York Times web site: the percentages of falsified entries are as high as 70% Web mining seminar

18. Some Surveys on Privacy • Business Week individuals online prefer government action, rather than industry self-policing, on online privacy Web mining seminar

19. What should the industry do? • Respect privcy • be forward-looking, long term plan and action • let the consumers be more comfortable reach more potential of the Internet Web mining seminar

20. What should the industry do? Marketing Association in the Internet Industry Direct Marketing Association(DMA) • Effective notice and choice by both web sites and network advertisers will effectively empower consumers with regard to their information. • Web publishers should provide notice and a means of contacting all network advertisers who collect information as a result of an individual’s interaction with their site. • Network advertisers should provide individuals with notice of the types of information that they collect from sites to which they serve ads. • Consistent with widely adopted industry practice, web sites that collect personally identifiable information should provide notice of any transfer of that information to third parties and an ability to opt out of such transfers. Web mining seminar

21. What should the industry do? • In April 1998 several large online companies including AOL, IBM, Microsoft and Hewlett Packard, joined together to form the Online Privacy Alliance, citing a need to protect the privacy and interest of consumers. includes an obligation to the clients, the public and the media Web mining seminar

22. What should the industry do? • the Better Business Bureau Online (BBB) ---a voluntary self-regulatory program designed to promote trust and confidence on the internet. ---The BBB has thousands of Reliability Approved Participants and adds more companies to this list every day ---companies such as TrustE.com encourage "mutual trust and openness," along with hints for the consumer in the form of do's and don'ts, and information about parental control software for children. Web mining seminar

23. Further Actions on Privacy Deborah Pierce, Attorney Electronic Frontier Foundation, USA • build an architecture online that supports privacy. • Legislation is needed to fill in the gaps from our lack of strong privacy laws. • Stronger consumer education programs are needed to help consumers make more fully informed decisions about their personal information online. • Fair Information Practices guidelines need to be strengthened to make them more enforceable and to provide meaningful remedies for consumers. • No one of these steps alone can fully protect privacy, so we must look to a combination of technology, legislation, enforcement of fair information practices and consumer education together to solve the problem. Web mining seminar

24. Public Oganizations • Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), USA a public interest research center that has extensive expertise in privacy. It offers Online Guide to Practical Privacy Tools, such as Snoop Proof Email, Surf Anonymously, Voice Privacy, PC Firewalls etc. -- http://www.epic.org/privacy/tools.html • ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD) an international organization helping governments tackle the economic, social and governance challenges of a globalised economy. --http://www.oecd.org Web mining seminar

25. The Role of Gevernment • growing public concern about the loss of privacy and a widening gap between the problems users face - the solutions ? • controls on techniques, to protect privacy • privacy guidelines must be enforced and Web mining seminar

26. Conclusion • online commerce is in a very early stage of development, but fast developing • consumer privacy is an important and fundamental issue regarding the future of the Internet • regulations and laws in all countries have not catch up the fast pace • greater progress can be made only under the power and aggressiveness of the governments Web mining seminar