December 4, 1999

E-Mail Privacy Dangers Alleged

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ASHINGTON -- Consumer and privacy advocates asked regulators Friday to force software makers to seal an e-mail feature that they say enables companies to track World Wide Web sites people visit.

The groups fear that companies could exploit the technology to match up people's e-mail addresses and possibly other personal information with their Internet surfing habits. That could open the door for intensive marketing of services and products to people who have visited certain sites, they said.

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``This feature is so subtle and difficult to understand that the average consumer can't be expected to avoid the invasion of privacy it causes,'' said Jason Catlett, president of Junkbusters Corp., a New Jersey-based company that specializes in Internet privacy matters.

Junkbusters, along with the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Center for Media Education, Electronic Frontier Foundation and others filed a petition Friday with the Federal Trade Commission. It asked that Microsoft, Netscape and other software makers change the situation that makes such tracking possible.

``It's really incumbent on the FTC to protect consumers from the risks,'' Catlett said.

The groups and security expert Richard Smith describe the problem as follows: Because some e-mail messages contain graphics that must be retrieved from the Web, a technical factor makes it possible for the person receiving the e-mail to be assigned an identification number, or ``cookie.'' That cookie can then be silently transmitted as the person surfs the Web, according to the groups.

What's more, they say, the cookie could then be traced back to the person's e-mail address in certain cases.

``My concern here is where the Internet marketing business is heading,'' Smith said. He fears the feature will allow for more one-to-one tracking and direct marketing.

The groups said they feel confident the software makers will work on the problem.

Richard Purcell, Microsoft's chief privacy officer, said the company's engineers are investigating it.

``We are trying to determine if there is a true technology flaw involved, or if this is good technology being exploited for purposes that our unwanted by consumers,'' Purcell said. ``It is too early, unfortunately, to know what remedies could be put in place.''

Purcell also said safeguards exist for consumers to ensure that when they get e-mails displaying Web pages, they come from sites they trust.

The advocates said they brought the matter to the FTC so that smaller companies also would be required to act on the issue.

``We will give it serious review,'' said FTC spokeswoman Vicki Streitfeld.