Over the last several years, the Washington Attorney General's office has seen a spike in the number of consumer complaints relating to privacy.

The state, which documents between 30,000 and 40,000 complaints annually about a wide range of issues, received 300 complaints last year specific to privacy concerns, Paula Selis, Washington's assistant attorney general told a group during a session Wednesday at the Direct Marketing Association's net.marketing Conference & Exhibition in Seattle.

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Last year, the Association of Attorneys General labeled privacy its issue of highest priority, according to Emily Hackett, state policy director of the Internet Alliance, who moderated the session.

Hackett said that while there are 314 privacy bills pending in 42 states, 36 Internet privacy bills in 11 states and 12 unsolicited commercial e-mail bills in 8 states, no state has yet passed a broad-based Internet privacy bill.

Newsfactor - Online Business Leaders Duck U.S. Privacy Workshop. Executives of companies that routinely use personal information collected from sometimes unsuspecting online consumers are more than a little sensitive when asked to give such personal data themselves, according to an Internet privacy advocacy group. Just a bunch of hypocrites. When its our data its OK. When its theirs its 'No Way'.

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Recipients of the letter were told that the data to be gathered will be used primarily for marketing purposes. It includes information such as income and education level, criminal records, affiliations with political and religious organizations, magazine subscriptions, psychographic and lifestyle data, and clickstream data such as URLs viewed, IP addresses and search queries.

Junkbusters said its list of sources has not been finalized, but presented a representative sampling of the types of companies from which it expects to collect information such as Amazon, AOL Time Warner, DoubleClick's Abacus Direct Division, Equifax's National Demographics and Lifestyles, Microsoft and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian (UK) | In sight of the law . The police and local authorities are using technology to keep a close watch on our every move. SA Mathieson looks behind the scenes

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But, along with the government's acquired abilities to track its citizens as they move about the internet through the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, computerisation means we can also be tracked in the material world.

Moreover, it can be done cheaply, with increasing accuracy and almost invisibly. Your mobile phone constantly gives your approximate position. More precisely, you can be watched walking the streets, your car is (routinely) tracked along major roads, and card-based transactions leave a virtual paper trail.

On the front line, catching all who cross their gaze, are surveillance cameras, of which Britain has more than any European country. Most, at the moment, are connected to video-tape recorders. But computerisation is coming, allowing cameras to "recognise" a face in a crowd.

accenture - Point of View - Internet privacy: A look under the covers.. Customer intimacy is bought not with coupons, but with respect and trust

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Because users give away a lot of information for free, one would think that selling their information, either for a small amount of cash or other compensation, would be an attractive proposition. Wrong!

Responses indicate that users would be largely unaffected by offers of site usage, sweepstakes entry, or merchandise discounts. This reluctance to trade information for value increases with the sensitivity of the information. The only offer that significantly boosts willingness to provide information is a statement of privacy protecting the use of the information.

The second most attractive offer is a cash payment. Though attractive to some, users report wanting substantial amounts of money for their information--more than U.S.$40 for the vast majority of those willing to sell. And still, more than half of respondents are unwilling to sell information for any price. This suggests that cash compensation for online information will be costly. Offering both online value and a privacy statement in exchange for information may be a more cost-effective way of acquiring information.

CNN.com - Sci-Tech - U.S. lawmakers examine pros, cons of privacy law.

U.S. lawmakers considering Internet privacy legislation heard from legal experts Thursday who warned that Congress would have to tread carefully to avoid violating free-speech protections in the U.S. Constitution.

A separate congressional panel took a close look at some of the online tracking technologies that have drawn protests from privacy advocates, prompting one senator to call them "frightening."

InfoWorld - Some new shrink-wrap license terms seem tailor-made for UCITA.

What are software publishers hoping to get out of the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA)? Judging by some of their shrink-wrap terms, it's a license to kill.

As we know, UCITA can cause plenty of problems just by validating the most common shrink-wrap terms, such as warranty disclaimers, restrictions on reverse engineering, and so on. Eagle-eyed readers, however, have spotted language in many EULAs (End User License Agreements) that appears tailor-made to take advantage of some of UCITA's worst provisions.

Foremost among the perils posed by UCITA is the "electronic self help" section that allows software publishers to equip their programs with remote disabling capabilities. A reader who purchased InstallShield 6 when it was released last year noticed it appeared self-help-ready: According to the product's EULA, "You grant to InstallShield the right to, with or without notice, monitor your Internet-accessible activities for the purpose of verifying [software] performance and/or your compliance with the terms hereof, including, but not limited to the remote monitoring and verification of your implementation, use, and duplication of the [software]." Shortly after I asked InstallShield about the purpose of this term, they revised the EULA and eliminated it.

A few more tidbits from the article... the EULA for Cybernet Systems' Netmax reads, "Cybernet may terminate this License at any time by delivering notice to you, and you may terminate this License at any time by destroying or erasing all copies of the Software." ... supporters have scoffed at the notion that publishers would use shrink-wrap licenses to prohibit public criticism of their products. Nonetheless, our friends at Network Associates seem prepared to do just that with their click-wrap license for VirusScan 5.15. "The customer shall not disclose the results of any benchmark test to any third party without Network Associates' prior written approval," reads one part of its EULA, immediately followed by: "The customer will not publish reviews of the product without prior consent from Network Associates." ... Juno claims the right to use its customers' computers during their downtime to run its own "Computational Software." ... " You agree that, as between you and Juno, you shall be responsible for any costs or expenses resulting from the continuous operation of your computer, including without limitation any associated charges for electricity, and that you shall have sole responsibility for any maintenance or technical issues that might result from such continuous operation." ... A large number of software publishers include disclaimers for any personal-injury damages you may suffer when using their software. As the Windows 98 EULA says, even if the injuries resulted from "a failure to meet any duty ... " or other negligence on the part of the publisher, Microsoft is off the hook.

CNET NEWS.COM - Passwords don't protect Palm data, security firm warns. People who rely on passwords to keep strangers from poking through their handhelds actually have no protection at all, according to a new security advisory.

In an alert posted Thursday, @Stake pointed to a back door in the Palm operating system that allows anyone with developer tools to access data on handhelds that have been "locked" with a password.

Australian IT - Censor Bill gets R rating. South Australia's internet censorship bill will give authorities wide-ranging powers to silence critics, anti-censorship campaigners have warned.

The Register (UK) - Australia goes stark raving mad over Net censorship.

The South Australia Parliament is pushing an Internet censorship bill that will make it an offence for anyone to post any information deemed offensive to children anywhere on the Internet. And it's the police that get to decide what is and isn't offensive.

In what is clearly politicians gone barking mad, fines of up to $10,000 can be levied against any individual that posts material seen as unsuitable for minors. The country's film certification system will be used to rate how strong material is - but the police will NOT have to go through an independent adjudicator, they can decide themselves whether the posting breaks the law.

Political News from Wired News - Are U.S. Agencies Hacker-Proof?.

A congressional subcommittee asked 15 federal agencies Friday to report how they've been testing and securing their computer systems from outside attack.

Under a federal law passed last year, agencies have to do their own security testing and hire an outside auditor to do "penetration testing," in which hackers are paid to try to break into a network. Its passage came amid a flurry of reports that federal computers were open to devastating attacks.

Culture News from Wired News - Napster Loss Is Copyright Gain. Three landmark cases are evidence of the erosion of individuals' rights to manipulate digital content. Wins against Napster, DeCSS and MP3.com show that the Digital Millenium Copyright Act is slowing the flow of information.

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"People who are concerned about free speech have grounds to be concerned under the current law," said Philip Corwin, a partner at Washington, D.C. firm Butera and Andrews. "If you are concerned with fair use and DRM technologies placing limits on content that you don't have with a physical book, the DeCSS case should scare you.

"As for fair use, it's becoming clear that Congress might need to step in and carve out fair use before it's obliterated."

But Corwin said it is unlikely that Congress would address the problems with copyright law in the near future. He said most of the discussions in Congress have focused on educating staffers, and not on developing new laws.

Health Privacy Project - Health Privacy - The Latest news.

Health Privacy Project -

The Health Privacy Project is dedicated to raising public awareness of the importance of ensuring health privacy in order to improve health care access and quality, both on an individual and a community level.

Founded in 1997 by Janlori Goldman, Director, the Health Privacy Project provides a broad array of healthcare stakeholders with the information and tools they need to work more effectively toward greater protection of health information through cutting-edge research studies, policy analyses, Congressional testimony, extensive work with the media, and a Web site.

Political News from Wired News - Do Marketers Know You're Sick?. If you're sick, new privacy rules require doctors to get your consent before telling anyone else what's wrong with you, even your mother. Anyone except marketers, that is.

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Your phone rings. It's dinnertime. You're spouse answers the call.

"Hi, I've learned from your health-care provider that you've recently contracted herpes. Can I interest you in our special condom discount this evening?"

If the exemptions for marketing that are included in the U.S. Health and Human Services Department's new medical privacy rule remain as written, privacy experts say this kind of solicitation -- by phone, mail, or even in person -- could become common.

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In a press release on the final rule, the American Hospital Association (AHA) expressed concern that the rule would hold hospitals responsible if some of their "business partners" misuse patient information, and that under the new regulations law enforcement officials would have unfettered access to patient records.

Technology News from Wired News - Cloning Ban Treaty Spurs Debate. Is a worldwide ban on the cloning of humans gaining momentum or getting a lukewarm reception? Supporters point to the 24 European nations that have signed the treaty, including five that ratified it. Critics point to about 200 countries that haven't.

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"I'm not terribly concerned about Slovenia, Slovakia, Georgia, Greece and Spain," said Mark Eibert, an attorney and patient rights advocate, and cloning supporter. "I do not see this as a stampede. Even if all of the members that initially agreed to the treaty agreed to ratify, it would still leave about 180 countries worldwide where cloning is legal."

Nevertheless, there are several other, perhaps more influential countries that have banned cloning, including Japan, Portugal, Germany and Denmark. And France's prime minister has made statements suggesting his country would be next.

Yahoo News - Taliban Destroys Ancient Buddhas.

KABUL, Afghanistan (news - web sites) (AP) - Aiming to eliminate idolatry from Afghanistan, troops from the Taliban religious militia used explosives and rockets Saturday to destroy two soaring statues of Buddha, and militia officials said they had already eliminated two-thirds of the country's statues.

What had not already been turned to rubble was slated to come down on Sunday and Monday, despite pleas from cultural, political and religious officials worldwide to save the priceless treasures.

``The head and legs of the Buddha statues in Bami yan were destroyed yesterday,'' said Taliban Information Minister Quadratullah Jamal, referring to the site about 78 miles northwest of the Afghan capital of Kabul. ``Our soldiers are working hard to demolish their remaining parts. They will come down soon. We are using everything at our disposal to destroy them.''

Extremely sad