WASHINGTON, December 19, 1998 — CDT today unveiled a new tool to help Internet users communicate their privacy concerns to Web sites and join an ongoing campaign to monitor the privacy practices of businesses operating online. CDT's Privacy Watchdog site gives consumers a quick way to scan and analyze privacy policies, or lack thereof, and tell Web sites what they think. Surveys have shown that privacy is the number one concern of Internet users. "The CDT Watchdog site is a way for consumers to show that privacy matters. This tool lets users send a clear privacy message to the business community," said Deirdre Mulligan, CDT Staff Counsel.

To use the Watchdog, Internet users can visit http://watchdog.cdt.org and answer a quick (seven-question) survey to analyze the privacy policies at the Web sites they regularly surf or shop at. For anyone just interested in testing out the Watchdog, there is a random URL generator that will send users to one of the top-rated news and shopping sites on the Web.

Based on the results submitted by Watchdog participants, CDT will begin to build lists of those sites with privacy policies and those without. The Naughty and Nice lists will provide Internet users with basic information on the privacy practices of Web sites. "Like Santa, we will be checking our list twice to make sure that sites end up on the right lists. However, unlike Santa we won't be closing up shop on December 25," explained Mulligan.

While providing consumers with a privacy notice is a good first step it is not enough to insure real protections. CDT will be reviewing the privacy policies at Web sites visited by Watchdog participants to assess whether they are meeting consumers' expectations of privacy and reflect time-honored standards for privacy protection. Detailed analyses will appear at the Watchdog site, as data is available.