Use personal information about payment gateway through the Internet

Knowing all these online privacy concerns of consumers, it is expected that companies will move toward self-regulation and mutual cooperation. Many companies have taken initiatives toward this, but the Enonymous.com survey, released in April 2000, revealed that among the 1,000 busiest Web sites, 63% post some sort of policy, but many do not provide a great deal of protection (Lehman, 2000). In May 2000, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommended to Congress that it extend new powers to control the way companies collect and use personal information payment gateway through the Internet because most of the Web sites are not implementing self-regulatory measures and are defying core privacy principles. It is expected that the FTC will play an important role in auditing cyber shopping sites and will set the guidelines from time to time in the future.

IPR includes copying, editing, morphing software piracy, unlicensed distribution of copyright music and otherwise manipulating information. Everyday there are millions of people who download or copy information without acknowledging the authors. At times the same information is modified and sold under a different name. Software piracy is another menace and yet still prevalent. Net users are becoming aware that Web sites may be encroaching on their privacy by collecting information thus infringing upon IPR. Realizing that the subject of IPR and copyrights need to be protected, Internet privacy requires federal and state politicians to introduce new bills aimed at safeguarding consumers' personal information from aggressive advertisers and direct marketers.

Although, there are existing laws aimed at providing Internet privacy, they are not enough. The recent case of Napster is a good example of IPR as a privacy concern.

As the culture of cyber shopping grows, it also attracts the attention of children. Children may be encouraged to use online environments for educational and entertainment resources and certainly, it can be an important and useful tool to help enrich and educate children. Most of the schools have introduced computers at early stages, and children are capable of using the Internet for personal use. In the last few years, computer literacy increased and more children are joining the cyber space world for their day-to-day activities.

Interactive online communications provides tremendous opportunities for children (United States Congress Senate Committee on Commerce, 1998), but at the same time, it presents unique challenges for protecting the privacy of young children.

When children go online, companies may lure them to play a few games, solve a few puzzles and attract them with offers of free gifts, free trips or awards, etc., and as a result may collect personal information from them. Unlike adults, they may not be fully capable of understanding the consequences of giving out personal information online. Parents will not always have the knowledge, the ability or the opportunity to intervene in their children's choices about giving personal information.

Therefore, companies at times target children online for collecting information and create a serious threat for privacy. One remedy for this concern could be controlling children's access to the online environment by their parents and educating the children about online payment environment abuses. Another way could be thought of whether Internet service providers themselves can give options to parents to restrict interactions with sites that may be in the business of collecting information.