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Web sites that provide us with help may use cookies or Javascripts, and they will be named here as we obtain such assistance and become aware that by means of our use of those sites' services you may get their cookies or Javascripts. We cannot control their owners' policies and attitudes concerning cookies and Javascripts. We further understand that many organizations cannot survive without using these devices, and that we ourselves derive benefits from others' uses of them. .

Our attitude concerning what is the best usage of cookies and Javascripts in order to help protect our personal environments from secret snooping, is shown in our two articles on these subjects.

THE PRINCIPLES ON PRIVACY

If we try to name a handful of big issues that have captured public attention and generated widespread concern at the start of the Millennium, privacy must be in that set of issues and may well be 'number one'. If you have been following the various media discussions in this field you will know that the concern does not begin or end with privacy on the internet; but that internet privacy has become a lightning rod to set off closely watched discussions. This new development would surprise no one who has been associated with computer communications since the heyday of the Bulletin Board Systems, long before the world-wide web came on the scene. This is a new world for exposing oneself for the benefit of secret snoopers, all in the name of superior targeted marketing.

Our angle on all this is very simple -- big organizations hire expensive IT staff to build elaborate firewalls that give them the power to control what kinds of communications will be allowed across their doors. Little People need similar empowerment -- understanding of elementary technical aspects of computer communications, knowledge of the inherent limitations in third-party guarantees of privacy protection, and practical know-how to build what firewalls their finances will allow, so that they retain the freedom to say 'yes' or 'no' to hidden snooping upon their particular internet surfing.

Accordingly, Arawak Net plans to to do three things in the information/education end of these unfolding developments over the coming months. First, we will try to be one of the places where people can go to get news and pointers to related discussion of the latest developments in the war over privacy on the internet. Second, we will develop extensive pointers to sources of relevant software, and regularly either carry in-depth reviews of various software offerings or tell you where to find them. Third, we will specifically identify and highlight outstanding Good Business Citizen companies.

We invite readers to send us nominations of companies to receive our Good Business Citizen salute for the aggressive protection of their clients' privacy, despite collecting information about clients at their web sites. Send your nominations to lestone@eudoramail.com. Nominees will be contacted and some effort will be made to 'test their sincerity' before they are named in public. Persons nominating companies that we judge to have better than average privacy statements and policies will be entered into our sweepstakes for a free week at Riviera Villa (go to our Home page for information about the villa).

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