4 Federal Guidelines Aim to Protect Privacy Online

The Federal Trade Commission recommends that charities and companies that collect personal information from online visitors use the following set of four standards

— known as “fair information practices” — in creating privacy policies to post on their Web sites:

Notification. Visitors to the Web site should be notified as to what personal information is being gathered, how that information is used by the organization, and with what third parties, if any, the organization will share it.

Choice. Web-site visitors should be provided with a means by which to contact the organization or take other action to ensure that their personal information is not shared, if they so choose.

Security. Users of the site should be notified of the means by which the organization protects personal information about them from any misuse, alteration, or access by unauthorized users. Organizations should strive to ensure that the same level of privacy protection is extended by any third parties with whom they share individuals’ personal information.

Access. Web-site users should have reasonable access to any personal information about themselves that the organization holds, as well as a means of correcting or amending the information if it is inaccurate.