Reactions to
Weaving the Web
by Tim Berners-Lee

Chapter 11: Privacy
plus the video: Nerds 2.0.1, Part II

Lindsay Alaishuski
This was definitely the most interesting chapter in the book thus far. It provided information on what security the web has, and how it needs to be increased. I imagine every web user out there would appreciate reading a version of this chapter. Many of the things mentioned I didn't know. While some brought relief to me (like how encryption works), some flat-out scared me! I am very freaked out that someone can track where I click and what I print out!!! Stalking like that is pretty scary. I know there's nothing I can do about it, but I am glad I am now more aware of what technology is out there.

On page 147, Berners Lee discusses the Platform for Privacy Project that the Consortium is "creating". On the next page, he mentions how fifty companies and trade groups got together and formed the Online Privacy Alliance. I am led to believe that this Consortium does 'fluff stuff' that really has no purpose. Here, they speak of creating this great privacy plan that will be beneficial to all of the web. They can talk all they want, but In the meantime, a large group of companies came along, did their own thing and created a Privacy Alliance. It just goes to show you that if you want something done, do it yourself!!! I am yet to be impressed by this Consortium.

I loved the metaphor Tim used how that trust on the internet is just like the 'web of trust' we have in our everyday lives. I strongly agree with that statement, because our online world is so similiar to our everyday lives: how we have to learn to trust (and not trust) others, sometimes by trusting others' advice or sometimes by learning the hard way.

As for Nerds 2.0.1, I was astounded at the amount of risk some individuals take in starting their companies. That's awesome that they have so much pride and faith in what they do. I was suprised not to have heard about the founders of Cisco before. However, what normally makes the news are the Bill Gates stories of the Overnight Billionaires. For some reason, a story like the one of the founders of Cisco must not be appealing to readers in a general audience.

Lastly, I'm excited to see the next video where the Web gets created! I'm wondering if Tim will be the first guy they interview! I guess we just have to stay tuned....

Diana Applegate
Although privacy and trust on the web are important issues, discussion about consumer privacy shouldn't be limited to the web. We can't forget that some of the problems with commerce on the web have been occurring in the "real world" for years. Every time I use my credit card at the mall, the cashier has easy access to my credit card number. A few months back, I read in the newspaper that a cashier at a major department store was caught swiping credit cards in her PalmPilot instead of through the register's credit card reader. In addition, when I use my Supercard (the discount card at Acme that's required in order to purchase sale items at the sale price), my buying habits are being tracked, and my info is being passed along to other companies. The register even spits out instant coupons for certain items that I purchased in a matter of seconds.

I know a lot of people who completely refuse to shop online due to privacy concerns. Maybe I'm being a little too naive, but I get annoyed at people who are overly paranoid about the web since consumer fraud can occur just as easily offline. I really don't care if someone out there knows what CDs I'm buying. Some might say that my buying habits could somehow be used against me someday, but I really don't see my musical tastes becoming an issue. My shopping habits on the web are very similar to my real world shopping habits. For instance, I only deal with stores/websites that I know to be reputable. This is an interesting issue in itself though, as Berners-Lee points out in his discussion of what he calls the "Web of Trust". It's easy enough for anyone to set up an e-business. And just because the site looks professional, one can't assume that the person behind it is reputable and trustworthy. Certain private organizations (like Bizrate) are attempting to rate and review online merchants so that customers will have access to information regarding how they operate, but as consumers, what we know about where to shop or do business often comes from informal discussion with other people.

Concerns about privacy and the web are certainly valid, and online shoppers should not assume that athe web is absolutely secure. But I think it's also important to realize that the real world is not immune to such issues, and consumers should be just as concerned about credit card fraud and tracking at the mall or in the supermarket.

Hilary Chamberlain
There's a quote I really liked on page 144:

"... One is that information can be collected much more easily, and the other is that it can be used very easily to tailor what a person experiences."

This really makes me wonder, I don't surf the web that much, but if I did, would they start messing with my head without my knowledge? And then I got to thinking, as much as it stinks that people can sit in their little offices and collect data on you without your knowledge, they've already been doing it for such a long time. It seems that everything I do can somehow be traced back to me, and a whole database of what I like and don't like, where I eat, what I buy, etc. can be compiled in very little time. I was also thinking, most of TV and radio advertisements are geared toward a particular segment. For example, look at Dawson's creek or 90210 or something similar. They definately don't show commercials for Depends between the show segments. They have people on staff just to sit around and figure out exactly how to subconsiously affect everyone's way of shopping. So I really haven't decided how I feel about all the commercialism.... besides the fact that I really don't pay attention to most of it... I still prefer to get in my car and drive to KOP But while we're on the subject, how can it possibly be legal for companies to track your movement? That would be like a saleman from J.Crew following my home, then to my classes, to the bathroom, and so on. I don't see how that can be allowed legally. at all.

Referring to pg 146.... I like what Europe is doing- allowing customer information to be seen and altered by that particular individual. I think that's a very good idea. What really scares me, and more than the commercialization business...... the bit about political candidates and the collection of data to alter the views of the candidate to cater to each person who looks at the site.. .that's totally sick. But I can't see how they would get away with it, unless they were super vague. about everything. Politicians afre bad enough, as a general rule.... they don't need anything else to make them look worse.

I am sort of confused by the statement about the release of Clinton's sexual activities on the web.... from pg 149. For the PKC issue, pg 151, don't other governments have just as much technology as we do? And it doesn't sound like the program is particularly complicated, or hard to do.... and it also sounds very easy to get a hold of. So why wouldn't our government use it? I can tell you that the other guys probably have their own thing going on right now anyway.

Sarah Crown
In this weeks readings, the theme which I had the strongest reaction to was the idea of privacy. Tim Berners-Lee addresses the idea that one should have the right to be anonymous when surfing the web and control who has access to ones personal information. As he states:

People should be able to surf the Web anonymously, or as a well-defined entity, and should be able to control the difference between the two. I would like to be able to decide who I will allow the use my personal information and for what (146).

Primarily, I was shocked to learn that there was even a manner of tracking how one is surfing the Web. I was surprised that some websites can track which links one is clicking on and following. Furthermore, I was startled to know that some websites take ones personal information and then will sell this information to other companies.

I fully agree with Tim Berners-Lee, in that people should be able to select which companies can obtain ones personal information, and I believe that in order for the company to sell the information to other companies, the person must give consent first. The situation is similar to that of a person walking into a store and buying a product - in this scenario, the person has control of whether he/she joins a mailing list or gives the store his/her social security number or credit card number. One should be able to have this same freedom on the Internet.

Huong T. Dang
This chapter's central theme was: "...openess. However, I repidaly separated te two (the Web and its openess), as the Web does not and should not imply that all information must always be shared." (143)

The chapter also points out the concerns for Web privacy: "...after they (the consumers) have ordered enough products, companies will have accumulated enough personaly information to harm or take advantage of them" (143) However, this is not as frightening as someone able to track you on the Web as memtioned in this quote: "Software can even track the pattern of clicjs a person makes on a Website (144)....This is known as 'click stream' (144)." and the quote: "A cookie is just a code such as a reference number or account number that the person returns." (145)

And there are the thieves always wanting to make an easy buck from unsuspecting consumers : "A website...can change chameleon-like according to who is looking at it, as if it were a brochure being printed for that one person. Imagine an individual visiting a Web page of a political candidate, or a controversial company wit ha quick check of that person's record, the politician or company can serve up just the heart - and tactfully suppress points he or she might object to." (146) OR "Anyone can make a site that looks like a clothing store. Crooks could have an elaborate impostor site that takes an order, passes it to the real store, sends the store's communication back, and in the meantime steals the credit card number." (150)

Finally, a closing thought I'd like to emphasize is the Web's effectiveness. Yes, there's the quick access and quick upload of information-but how about information defaming people - your family? As Tim states : "Perhaps the most notorious violation of privacy over the Web was the sudden release late in 1998 of details from teh U.S. Independent COuncil's report about President CLinton's sexual activities. This information was purposely exposed to millions of people, contrary to many people's concepts of respect for the individual or family. We can use the power of the Web to connect anything and everything to great effect, or to do devastating damage. Episodes like this help us recognize how rapidly the widespread distribution of information could cripple our society - and each of us personally - if absolutely all information remains public." (149)

Beth Fedornak
It's a matter of Trust!!!

Every time I access the web and am asked to input personal information on myself from something as simple as my name and email address to extremely confidential information such as my credit card number I always get a little paranoid. And after reading this chapter I feel that my fears are justified. Just recently an article was released about teenagers that had gained access to thousands of credit card numbers that they had obtained from the web.

Can these web pages gain enough personal information to harm the consumer and is it right for them to sell this information to third parties? Due to my fears I have found that I might surf a sight to purchase an item but in the end I normally call the company directly an order the item over the telephone. As Tim states "Privacy is only as trustworthy as the sites provider" and unfortunately we have not come far enough to guarantee the consumer's privacy.

I'm glad to see that the Federal Trade commission has taken this issue seriously and I hope that in the future our web sites can become more secure and the selling of information to third parties is eliminated. Only then can we eliminate some of the fear associated with the web. And with some of this fear gone we might find that older or less experienced web users will give the Internet a try.

YunJin Jun
Although the internet has become such a convenient tool, it makes me scared to think that someone might be watching me without me knowing it. I had never been worried about my privacy on the internet until I read this chapter, and what's more surprising is that the government isn't making any strong regulations regarding this matter. I know we have freedom of speech and all these other freedoms, but I feel that there should be some kind of governmental control. I know it may sound awful to some people, but there are a number of people who are obsessive about protecting their privacy. When I check my e-mail, sometimes I get so many junk mails that I get annoyed by them. And I'm pretty sure that some marketers are giving away my information, and that is not only disturbing but scary to me.

JinJoo Kim
The beginning of the chapter contained new concepts and organizations, such as "click stream" information, Net Perceptions, and cookies and so on. But as the chapter went on I lost my comprehension and my understanding became mumbled. There are three questions that bothered me. 1) I do not understand how pKC,PGP, pKIk and Online Privacy Alliance, Better Business Bureau Online,P3P all work together. It's unclear to me how PKC, PGP, PKI could be utilized. It does not make sense to me when they say 'the public key' and 'the private key'. 2) Is World Wide Web Consortium somehow a nonprofit organization that is influential at all? How are they to utilize P3P. 3) The nature of 'export law' that is mentioned on page 151 is unclear. If it is the blocking of exporting strong cryptography, how does it frustrate people who wants to buy clothes from another country? I guess I am just not getting the technicalities behind this chapter.

Ning Lin
Before reading this chapter, I did not know that I can be so closely monitored when I am surfing online. It sounds really scaring to me, while I was amazed by the smart tracking and monitoring softwares. All the tracking software can be used in a very helpful way under a clearly defined privacy policy system. For example, I think that it is good to track the clicks from the consumers in order to decide the ads. However, I do not like the idea that a web site can change chameleon-like according to the individual's preference. It is more like deception than targeted marketing. If it is true to the web, I will start to lose trust to some shopping web site.

I think it is useful to keep the consumers' information for some online store and service. It can save the time to get the information repeatly when the consumer come back to purchase again. I need to buy phonecards all the time from the Internet to call my parents. The web site saves all my information (i.e. address, name, ..etc.) except the credit card information. So, I only need to input the credit card number every time instead of going through the whole form. However, this is only the good side of this tracking system. I will feel uncomfortable if I always remind myself that I am monitored and my information is recorded online.

I have two credit-card account online wiht my back-account information as well. I also purchase stuff online very often. Fortunately, no problem happened yet. But, I read this news this week about there was a hacker called " Saint of E-commerce" who cracked into the system and got Bill Gate's personal credit card account information. The first reaction I had to this news was laughing, because I thought it was rediculous that even Bill Gate's account information is not safe enough. Right after that, I started to worry about my own accounts. The hacker "saint of e-commerce" is only 18 and he was arrested by FBI already. He caused a cost of about 3 million dollars to the web. However, he said that he just wanted to show that how unsafe the internet is and he was the most honest about the fact.

Caroline Murphy
Would it be appropriate to assume the "trust no one" attitude toward our online activities? Perhaps, as Berners-Lee provided some pretty sobering things to think about in this chapter; all pertinent to the issue of online privacy. While it seems the general population is aware of hackers and companies overlooking employee activities online, many may not know of such things as "click-stream" programs and "cookies"(144/145) and the particular issues that can arise from them.

I have experienced firsthand some rather annoying consequences of assuming online entities as being generally trustworthy. For instance, it is quite common to see banners on search engines offering free this or free that, win a new Mercedes, win $500,000. All you have to do is maybe answer some questions, fill in your name and email and click to submit.

Under the guise of a simple contest entry, some stranger now has information that (s)he can capitalize on. Berners-Lee mentions companies selling customer lists to third-party groups, as this is just the way that many of us receive unsolicited spammings (146). What is more disturbing is that some outside server can store my personal information (in the form of a "cookie") on my computer's hard drive without me consenting or even knowing about it.

So Berners-Lee speaks of a "Web of Trust" (153-155). It is apparent that the concept of trust on the web is one that needs some strengthening. We utilize encryption programs every time we send emails or purchase products online -- much to the relief and sense of security that we desire. While it is common sense to want personal correspondence and financial information confidential, isn't this in itself a statement of our disbelief in a Web of Trust?

Berners-Lee touches on the need to strike a balance between trust and necessary precautions: the government's control of virtually uncrackable cryptography programs (151) may well prevent possible terrorist activities from materializing. Without overseeing the activities of web users, it may not be possible to police illegal behavior -- it's just a matter of whom we want to have this power.

These kinds of things make me very wary of what information I make available while online. Even before reading this, I made it a habit to disconnect my ethernet cable from my computer every time I'm not using it, so that anyone other than myself could not access my hard drive. Am I being paranoid? Perhaps. But the potential of the internet and www is virtually limitless, and I don't want to wait until someone discovers new sneaky things to do while compromising the privacy of others. Conspiracy theory as reality?

Jennifer Picagli
Privacy is a giant issue online. If one knows what one is doing, then one can avoid most serious issues. I am reminded now of the Pentium III dispute, which was probably not out yet when the book was put to press. That was an integral part of the computer which was going to function much like cookies; store personal data and transmit it, except instead of software, this was integral hardware which was going to do that. I ersonally don't trust even the 'deactivated' chips and would go out of my way to buy one of the few remaining generic high-quality equivalents. The other side of the issue is that I personally like it when I can *choose* to have websites or trusted companies (like drugstore.com) know what I usually buy so that I can click and reorder. Amazon is a little more fishy because they're comparing my buying record with that of other people. I'm not going to buy a book because Amazon recommends it, I'm going to buy it from Amazon because I know I want that particular title. Other books by author is useful, because when one can't remember the title of the next in series (a problem for those of use who read prolific fantasy authors), a bibliography is useful. I don't mind sites knowing that I've set my preferences to not show me X or to only show me Y or to keep the background black. I do mind 'noisy Javascript' and its kin, enough to the point that I've started using an HTTP proxy program. On another note, Berners-Lee managed to *not* tell the readers about the history of PGP - I suspect he doesn't use it, perhaps not trust it, by the way he writes about it.

Megan Rutter
After reading chapter 11, I realized how little I knew about privacy on the web. I didn't know that companies have the capabilities that they do. I had no idea that companies such as Net Perceptions existed and that they could create a profile of me based on my "click stream," minutes spent here and there, the pages I printed, etc. That completely blew my mind. And that my computer could give out information about me without my knowing it! That was news to me. I hjad no idea what a cookie was, nor that it even existed. This all just goes to show hoe naive I am when it comes to web security and privacy. I doubt many users out there know what they are getting themselves into. A lot of this chapter was very technical, but Berners-Lee made sense of it all. It's hard to believe that RSA was created in 1977! And that most people probably still don't know what it is. On a side note: I loved that "to ridicule the export law, PKC programs have been printed on T-shirts, and in machine-readable fonts in books- which cannot be subject to export controls." (151) People can be so sneaky!

YunWen Shaw
The ability of the web is extremely powerful, and it is frightening, being a consumer, knowing that I along with so many others, am the victim of crazed marketers and companies that are out to track my on-line activities wherever I go with tracking systems and cookies. It's not only a frightening thought, it's also annoying. But that you do not have any idea what this cookie is doing, what information it's collecting, how it will use that information, or that it may even be dwelling on your hard drive, I have a hotmail account which I don't use anymore because it was bombarded my literally hundreds of junk emails a day that tried to sell me house mortgages, draperies, life insurance, and worst of all, porn. Anything imaginable, they tracked me with. It is true that the development of such marketing tools only promote fear and doubt and a great rebellion on the part of the consumer if it is at all possible, and Berners-Lee put it well in his last statement that "it is not a stable basis for building a society on the web."

It is understandable that the web, with all its uses, would be such a powerful marketing tool. I took a marketing class last year which focused largely on the use of the web as the grand future of marketing. The web has amazingly shrunk the world into virtually the size of the network neighborhood itself (no pun intended), and drastically altered the way international marketing is being done now and soon in the future. In many ways, on-line marketing has greatly benefited consumers. The internet not only shrinks the world and spaces between companies that may be separated by entire oceans and continents, but it also brings together the people within a company as well. It reduces the information-exchange rate and results in the need of fewer employees in the ladder of authority in many cases. All of this ultimately reduces prices for consumer goods, which we definitely can't complain about. Then there're also new revelations that people are no less than addicted to, such as eBay.com, Amazon.com, etc. We've probably only seen a fraction of what these companies are capable of with in onslaught of companies like AllAdvantage.com and geocities.com. It is a big business out there. And from the viewpoint of a marketing manager, it's beautiful. But for now from where I stand, it's frightening.

Tim Berners-Lee presented to us a cartoon drawn early in the life of the Internet where you see a dog sitting in front of a computer. The illustration was labeled "On the Internet, no one knows you're a dog." This is very true. Tim Berners-Lee stated that he believes that people should be able to surf the web anonymously. I'm not sure if I agree with this or not. Indeed, it is what is going on now. In all chatting programs, and any interactive programs, people undertake a new identity with screen names and on-line nicknames. It's all a mask, and you never know who you may actually be talking to. There is definitely a sense of freedom and security that is acquired with this, but like all other things, there is always that fear of those who will take advantage of the fact.

In my freshman year CSem: Cultural Encounters, we spent a few weeks on an excerpt from a science fiction novel titled Snow Crash, I don't recall the name of the author. In this book, we are presented with a dark and dismal world where all life exists on the Internet. The time is in the future, where everyone owns a computer, either purchased or home-made. It is a life-necessity, in the sense that it is on the internet, where life really goes on. Only for those with high-tech, expensive computers with great capabilities that are able to enter certain areas of the nether world. (The nether world is how I will refer to this on-line world.) It is a virtual world where you designate your appearance, your voice, your talants, and your wealth, all by the capability of your computer. Those who have great computers are the only ones who look wealthy and beautiful in the nether world, whereas the home-made scrapped computers can only project fuzzy self-images with scanty clothing. Of course there are always hackers that exist that are the only ones truly able to manipulate their being in this world. In most all cases, it is more than obvious to tell who is of what rank. And thus life goes on in this nether world, in a sort of parallel dimension to the real world. The question is, what is reality. And the greater question is, who are the people around you? Who are they really? You can never tell.

Grace Shin
The whole privacy issue on the web is quite controversial. Many people including myself are still reluctant to release private information to the web because there are just so many things that could go wrong in our eyes. In the chapter, Tim Berners-Lee describes different ways that web companies try to ensure their customers privacy of the information asked. However, things like cookies are installed onto our personal computers without even us knowing that they are being installed. This aspect of the web is actually quite disturbing. When I buy things on line such as CDs or clothes, I risk the chance of my personal information like address, credit card number, and etc, to be released to people who do not know me at all. There are always people in this world who tries to do wrong to others, and with the web, it just seems to be a better way to do it since you can always stay annonymous. Things like cookies are so easily placed into the personal hard drives that unless I knew to check for them every time, I wouldn't know they are there. And as much as the web companies would like to say that their privacy statements are very stable and ensured, nothing can be 100% sure. The web is constantly changing. That is one of the most crucial aspects of the web itself. Therefore, although at this one point in time, these privacy statements can be very fool-proof, things can change within the next 24 hours.

I didn't quite understand the idea of encrypting when giving personal information. The book stated that this ensures the personal information more so, but exactly how does it do that? When people design these programs to make sure that the personal information given are totally safe, how would we as consumers know how to tell them apart. I don't think the general public would know exactly what to look for in these privacy statements. Therefore, there really isn't a guarantee that these companies have the best of the privacy statements available.

With that in mind, I liked the idea of having laws regarding the privacy statements on the web. I feel that laws which can guarantee the absolute needs of a privacy act would allay the anxiety in many web browsers and web consumers. Granted that the web business is already quite increasing exponentially, but people would feel much more safe when they know that there are certain laws which protect them from their computer illiteracy.

Nerds 2.0.1, Part II:
I guess I am just really surprised at how much those people have accomplished. In a lot of ways, it seems like one big competition among the different companies, and yet, they all kind of have to work together. I thought it was interesting how all the people who work in that field were jugglers and stuff... perhaps the part of the brain used for juggling is the same part for the designing of computers!

Bonnie Underwood
"We can use the power of the Web to connect anything and everything to great effect, or to do devastating damage."

When i read this line, i thought about what Berners-Lee had said about it being useful for shopping sites (and other such sites) to track what customers do in order to make shopping easier for the customer each time they return. however, i think it's completely unfair when this type of thing turns up in a harmful way. for instance, i don't think it is anyone's business what i am doing when i surf the net or what i purchase...it Definitely should not come back to haunt me years later (like one of the examples in the chapter). The P3P is a good idea for something like this. however, Berners-Lee mentioned the fact that different sites have different policies and in many cases we have the choice of whether or not to proceed. so, knowing these things, i think people are somewhat responsible. it reminds me of what we discussed about telnet - the fact that it is right there in the text telling us (before we log in) that we are being monitored. but most of us never even look at that text and just go right into telnet. so i think there needs to be a happy medium of people being aware and being able to make choices from good privacy policies.

Annie Zipper
Tim Berners-Lee sees the Web as the best forum for human communication and interaction, and Web security as the way to ensure the Web's influence and widespread use. His explanations of various Web security tools are easy to understand. The issue of Web security is another Web-related potential problem that could lead to Federal regulation, which Berners-Lee clearly is against. The Web is part of the new technology of the Internet, and I see Web security as a kink that needs to be worked out for the Web to achieve its full potential and for all people to feel comfortable using it. It is not unusual for new modes of communication to have obstacles like this to overcome. Berners-Lee ends this chapter with much bravado about the next two chapters, saying, "These developments (the Web of Trust), which I discuss in the next two chapters, are for me the next most important developments for the Web as a whole." (p. 155) His convictions about Web security are not to be underestimated, and I am curious to see in the following chapters what his plans for a more secure Web entail.

Alicia Zukas
The Philadelphia Enquirer's front page reads: Court Finds Microsoft Guilty. USA Today exclaims: Microsoft Ruling Rocks Tech. While Microsoft is staying strong, their stock value has been drastically fluxuating, and essentially when the judge's decision was read. Poor Bill Gates. Because of all of this, he lost 14 billion in stocks, which according to USA Today, left him with merely $71.5 Billion to go. I have no sympathy. Gates seemed like an ok guy on the videos, perhaps least provacative in comparison to the guy who fired the only female in the documentary.

Well, there you have it- we found our token female of the film, the co-founder of cisco, something to certainly be proud of. Several aspects of the film not discussed in the book include the entire creation of the internet, which I frequently get confused with the world wide web. I am still slightly unclear of the difference between the world-bound internet and the world wide web. Thhe book touches upon privacy issues which we have discussed in class. Page 144 discusses the software designed to trace the clicks of user. I am not too keen on the idea of the the site designing content to your own preference when it comes to political platform or any debateable issues. While online behavior is illegal to moniter in parts of Europe, it is legal to both record and disperse personal information in the USA, with some restictions, of course. I agree with the author in that the dispersable information should be chosen by the user and not the company. I am certain that we have all acquired junk mail from unknown sources, and this policy which Europe has adapted, should be enforced in the US. While I visit many music (instrument, not audio) sites, I really don't know how they aquired my Email address and how other places got it, as well.

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