FTC forum: Internet users want cheap privacy

WASHINGTON -- Internet users want to keep their personal information private, but they want privacy tools to be cheap, easy to use and nearly invisible.

That was the consensus from a group of privacy experts at a forum on protecting personal information at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in Washington, D.C., Wednesday.

Most Internet users don't want to have to fiddle with settings on privacy products, they just want it to work, said Martin Abrams, executive director of the Center for Information Policy Leadership. "It has to work the way a toaster does," Abrams said of privacy tools. "Put in a slice of bread, and toast pops up."

Many Internet don't pay much attention to computer privacy because they don't know the dangers of viruses, worms and credit-card thieves lurking online, added Stephanie Perrin, president of Digital Discretion, a privacy consultancy.

Perrin, speaking on a panel about consumer tools for managing personal information, listed more than a dozen privacy products that were launched between 1999 and 2001 but failed to catch on, mainly because of cost or inconvenience. However, many Internet users aren't aware of the dangers that can be avoided with proper tools, she said, and several panelists stressed the need for more public education about using personal data online.

"Leaving personal information around ought to be thought of as leaving a bucket of cash, because it's saleable," Perrin said. "Organized crime is interested in it; the terrorists are interested in it; we ought to protect it like cash."

The FTC forum is the first of two in the next month focusing on protecting data privacy. A second hearing, focusing on how companies can protect the privacy of data, is scheduled for June 4 in Washington, D.C.

Richard M. Smith, an Internet consultant who runs the informational Web site Computerbytesman.com, described a number of privacy tools available to Internet users, including antivirus software, firewalls, and spyware detection software. But Alan Paller, director of research for the SANS Institute, said most privacy tools haven't caught on with consumers.

Paller blamed vendors for not building in privacy tools but also said most Internet users aren't demanding them.

"They're a wonderful tool if we use them, but we don't use them," Paller said of antivirus programs.

Rich Lloyd, global privacy and customer relationship management lead for Dell, said only 8 percent of Dell customers subscribe after a free 90-trial for antivirus software expires. And Anson Lee, product manager for Norton Internet Security at Symantec, admitted that most Internet users don't buy antivirus products until after their computers get infected and they lose valuable personal data.

Lee, in an interview later, said about 30 percent of Internet users do not use antivirus products. In addition, because Internet users are often behind locked doors in their homes, they seem to feel less cautious about giving out personal information to strangers at Web sites or in chat rooms, he noted.

"Things they normally wouldn't do in public, they feel safe to do at home," Lee said of sharing personal information with strangers on instant messages.

Lloyd suggested most Internet users aren't willing to pay more than $20 or $30 for privacy tools. Dell will soon announce factory-coded security benchmark configurations on PCs, he said.