Spitzer Acts To Protect Internet Privacy

In response to growing concerns regarding privacy on the Internet, Attorney General Spitzer has submitted two bills to the State Legislature that would empower consumers to stop unwanted junk e-mail and would protect consumers from those who track on-line browsing activities.

"As the information age advances, consumers are quickly losing the ability to control disclosure of private information about themselves and their families," Spitzer announced. "This legislation will reverse this trend and give consumers the power to control the unauthorized use of their personal information gleaned over the Internet and stop unwanted e-mail advertisements which cost them money while they weed through an in-box of junk mail."

The New York Times reported that Microsoft has developed a "Globally Unique Identifier" in the Windows 98 operating system that is transferred along with personal identification information such as name, address, phone number and other demographic information to the Microsoft Corporation. Attorney General Spitzer's bill would prevent companies like Microsoft from the unauthorized sale of such information obtained on-line and protect the privacy of Internet users of New York State.

Spitzer pointed out the recent discoveries regarding the Intel Corporation's Pentium III chips with an identification signature and Microsoft's Globally Unique Identifier as striking examples of this particular Internet privacy concern. "It is all the more important that New York State move quickly to stop this unwanted invasion of a web-surfer's privacy."

Another bill submitted by Attorney General Spitzer will empower consumers to stop unwanted electronic mail advertisements, commonly referred to as "spam" or "junk e-mail." It would require marketers to provide sender identifying information with the e-mail and give consumers the option to "opt-out" of future e-mail ads. This bill also will prohibit marketers from violating the policy of an Internet Service Provider (ISP), such as America On-Line against spam. This should help prevent system "brown-outs" from bulk transmissions of junk e-mails, and therefore save related ISP customer service costs associated with this practice.

"Consumers pay a very high price for unwanted e-mail ads," Spitzer commented. "In addition to the direct cost consumers pay for their time on the Internet, it has been estimated that spam costs tens of millions of dollars in bandwidth and customer service every year. My office is committed to ensuring that these marketing practices are curbed so that costs of junk e-mails are no longer passed along to consumers."

Similar laws regarding Internet spam and junk e-mailers have recently been passed in Virginia, California and seventeen other states across the nation.

The Department of Law's new Internet Bureau, established to handle Internet complaints regarding such issues as on-line brokerages, electronic commerce, consumer scams, and child pornography, will be charged with handling consumer complaints on these matters.

Individuals interested in finding out more about Attorney General Spitzer's actions to protect consumers using the Internet or individuals who are concerned about on-line scams and other activities are encouraged to contact the Attorney General's office at (800) 771-7755 or visit his website at www.ag.ny.gov