| From: "Richard M.
Smith" smiths@tiac.net To: HQ.DCMAIL4(PROFILE) Date: Mon, Oct 18, 1999 4:51 PM Subject: Online Profiling Project - Request to Participate, P994809 / Docket No. 990811219-9219-01 Hello, I would like to request to be a panelist at sessions I and II of the FTC Public Workshop on Online Profiling which is being held on November 8th, 1999 in Washington DC. For the past 2 years I have been researching privacy and security issues on the Internet. A number of areas that I have looked at, I believe, are very relevant to the Online Profiling Workshop including:
Many of the problems that I have looked into have been reported both by the computer industry trade press as well as the mainstream media including the New York Times, Time Magazine, and The Newshour. Recently, I have also turned my attention to Web site privacy policies. As a small business person with more than 15 years experience in running 2 software companies I understand very well the operational and marketing sides of business. Web site privacy policies that I have investigated do not stand up to scrutiny. The policies in many cases seem to be written to sound "nice" to consumers but do not address the realities of how business is conducted. The result in many cases, is that consumers are mislead in what exactly is happening to personal information collected by Web sites. I look forward to your reply. Sincerely, ========================================== Richard M. Smith Phone: (617) 962-8351 Internet consultant FAX: (617) 731-5572 Email: smiths@tiac.net http://www.tiac.net/users/smiths ========================================== CC: "Richard M. Smith" smiths@tiac.net |