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Pastimes : Internet Security/Privacy Issues and Solutions -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: caly who wrote (65)	8/11/2000 11:43:18 AM
From: PJ Strifas	Respond to of 210

ZeroKnowledge only handles one aspect of privacy - that is masking your online identity. It's my belief this type of system is a knee-jerk response to our current "ineffective" systems. Once I visit Amazon.com, they will ask me for REAL information if I desire to make a purchase. ZeroKnowledge has it's benefits but not as a complete solution. In fact, masking people's identities (while worthwhile) also extends the ability of abusing this service in negative ways. Imagine this service used by pedophiles, stalkers, con artists etc. Once the exception has been made to "uncover" any individual using this system (say a search for a criminal who is using this system), then the precedent has been set to expose ANY user. [Besides I believe that technically this system is not foolproof]. What I propose is a system where my personal information is maintained by ME and only ME. In this system, I would "populate" my digital identity with personal information then on a "line-by-line" basis share that information with others. This system would update my information from a single source (my personal one) so there are many advantages too. Of course those I'd share the information with would need to either subscribe to the same service or interoperate with my service for the model to work. Again, there are services currently available for people to use that will thwart most "tracking" abilities. This can be good but its not an overall solution to the problem of privacy in cyberspace. Regards, Peter J Strifas

To: caly who wrote (65)	8/11/2000 12:06:00 PM
From: PJ Strifas	Respond to of 210

Lets explore a scenario we've all encountered online - the purchase. Currently, one surfs to a site, chooses a product (or service), inputs all necessary information (credit card#, address, name etc) and sits back to await delivery. In this scenario, the merchant collects an extrordinary amount of data on each of its customers (including surfing habits, product interests etc). After some time, they develop a VERY detailed view on you and your life. In turn, this information becomes a source of revenue for them - reselling your data. I've heard that Amazon.com resells their lists for about $1000 per user in some cases. If someone is reselling my information, I want something for it at least! Ok, so what to do? Well, let's disect the transaction first. What is the goal of a vendor? To sell a product (or service) and receive compensation (money). In the above example, Amazon.com wants to sell me a book for a specified price. Breaking down the transaction into simplest terms, Amazon transfers the book, I transfer money. So in reality, for this transaction to complete, all that is needed is the exchange of money for the book. All the other information is in support of this, so lets see what we can do. By leveraging a system where my personal information is stored in my own "digital directory", I can accomplish many aspects of this transaction without exposing personal information to Amazon.com. Prior to any transaction, I "set up" information regarding a service (bank or credit company) to handle the transfer of money. I also "set up" information for delivery (perhaps I open an account with FedEx). All this information resides in my personal digital directory (discussion on its security is another post). Now let's look at the Amazon.com transaction again. I surf to the site, find a book (my casual reading needs a boost - all these technical books! ugh!) and decide to make a purchase. I click through and make the purchase only the steps have changed. My peronal digital directory then contacts my preferred delivery service (FedEx) and my credit card company (MasterCard) regarding the transaction. FedEx schedules the pick and delivery of the package and MasterCard schedules the transfer of money to Amazon.com. So what information has Amazon.com gained from me? That FedEx is my shipping company, I have a MasterCard account (but they don't know the acct #) and I purchased a book on Italian cooking. How much is this information worth to Amazon.com? I don't know but I will estimate it is MUCH less than the current amount of information they gather (and resell). In addition, if Amazon.com's servers are ever compromised, the most someone could learn about me is that FedEx is my delivery service, I have a MasterCard account and I like Italian cooking. Beyond that I'm just a username on a list. There are additional benefits to this idea. I only wanted to point out one aspect of doing "business" on the internet. Safeguarding this personal "directory" is another matter altogether :) Regards, Peter J Strifas