Profilers Amass Info on Movie Rentals, Medical data
U.S. News and World Report has published an interview with Larry Ponemon, a former auditor of privacy practices with Pricewaterhouse-Coopers. In the interview, Ponemon recounts invasions of privacy perpetuated by American companies. These include a major hotel chain that collects and shares information on movie titles rented by guests, maintenance of massive collections of consumer profiles that often contain inaccurate information, companies that collect medical test data and profile consumers based on health conditions, and chat room operators who guarantee anonymity to users but secretly track them and reveal their anonymous communications to employers. Poneman concludes that most companies don�t take privacy seriously.Gospel of privacy guru: Be wary; assume the worst, U.S. News and World Report, June 25, 2001.
