ABA Family Legal Guide

Computer Law

Online Purchases

How can I protect my privacy when shopping online?

You can visit so many websites so quickly that you might forget to take some basic precautions to protect personal information when shopping online. First of all, you should check each site's privacy policy to discover how the information that you provide will be used, and whether it will be forwarded to other companies or individuals. Make sure to read these policy statements thoroughly, as the most important details are often in the fine print.

Also, be aware that Internet commerce sites often leave cookies, small bits of information that track your Web usage, on your hard drive. Cookies aren't all bad, and in fact serve many useful purposes. They store your preferences for certain websites, allowing the websites to recognize you as a returning customer and to pick up where you left off (and not have to enter all your information all over again). However, if you don't like the idea of outsiders tracking at least some of your Web use, most Web browsers permit you to block cookies from being left without your approval. This blocking technology can slow down your browsing if you set it to warn you, but if you frequently check into uncharted territory on the Web, you may want this sort of control over who is leaving their cookies on your computer. Cookies can also be manually deleted.

To assuage the concerns of computer users, the nonprofit groups TRUSTe and BBBOnLine have created a "trustmark," a logo appearing on websites intended to serve as a seal of approval for online companies that have made good on their pledges to ensure their customer's privacy.