1. On-Line Privacy: A Study of the DoubleClick Case Mark Banner Computer Science 99 February 23, 2000

2. Overview What is the DoubleClick case? Where does the right to privacy come from? Can we apply physical rights to the virtual world? What ethical stance should we take in the DoubleClick case? What are the implications of this point of view?

3. DoubleClick vs. Harriet Judnick DoubleClick combines online data with other information to enable “targeted” marketing “DoubleClick not only knows where you go online and what you do there but also who you are, where you live, and your phone number.” – Business Week, Feb. 14, 2000, p 38 Judnick is asking that DoubleClick get permission before gathering data and destroy all existing data

4. The Ethics of Privacy Privacy is not a priori “It is a particular society that determines whether one has the right to look at people in public or private.” – Bernard Gert, Morality p 115 There is a negative-utilitarianism about rights in general and privacy rights in particular

5. Popular Analogies Man with a camera on a street corner Store surveillance camera Surveyors standing on the street Paparazzi photographers stalking famous figures “Truman show” society

6. The Problem with Analogies They are never quite close enough to the virtual world They imply that the virtual world functions in the same way as the physical world They deny that rights are a context-based, society-centric phenomena

7. Privacy in DoubleClick vs. Judnick Is the harm from gathering information greater than the harm from losing the information? Society is leaning towards support of privacy as control of information Anonymous information gathering seems harmless and efficient

8. What Can Be Done DoubleClick can record information without specific information about the user Gathered information can be kept within the company; subject to legal punishment Internet users can: – Opt-out of their system ( http://www.doubleclick.com/company_info/about_doubleclick/privacy/privacy2.htm ) http://www.doubleclick.com/company_info/about_doubleclick/privacy/privacy2.htm – Turn off cookies – Avoid DoubleClick member sites

9. Implications of Privacy On-Line Who pays for the Internet? The end of “free” services? Increase in number of “useless” ads? Texas stalking case