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Maintaining Privacy While Shopping Online

Buzzle Staff
Most people know the risks associated with losing personal information while shopping online. But it's just as important to keep a firm grasp on your privacy. Here are some tips that can save your Internet shopping session from turning to disaster.
The General Data Protection Regulation, introduced in 2018, of the European Union promises complete authority of users over their personal data.
However, In the United States, as of now, no overall regulation regarding data privacy exists. Whosoever feeds in the data, regardless of the means, has the right to store and use it in accordance with the partial regulations.
Because there are no laws preventing it, sellers are free to collect your name, address, information about the websites and site pages you visit, what types of products or services you buy, what time of day you shop online, the address you ship items to, what shipping service you use, and even how much you typically spend on an online purchase.
Sellers may use the information they collect about purchasers by selling it to other companies or sharing it with affiliates. As a result of losing this private information, you will most likely receive more direct-mail marketing, spam e-mails, and/or telemarketer calls.
Losing privacy is a major concern that consumers are worried about in terms of shopping online. In response to these concerns, government regulators are encouraging website sellers to clearly state on their websites what their privacy policies are, and how they will use information gathered from buyers.
If you visit a site that does not have a posted privacy policy, you should think twice before placing an order with that site. A privacy policy should include the type of information the seller will gather based on your transaction, and how the seller is planning to use the information gathered.
A privacy policy should offer you the option to decline acceptance ('opt out') of these policies. If you want to opt out, you should read the privacy policy thoroughly and look for instructions about how to opt out of accepting the policies.
But having a privacy policy posted online doesn't necessarily protect you and keep your information private. Although you may be reassured by seeing a logo or seal of an independent monitoring agency that seemingly promises a private, secure transaction, you should also read the policy.
Monitoring organizations may not dictate the privacy policy site owners must follow; they may only require the seller to abide by the privacy policy they have in place, whether or not it is a good policy. These organizations are usually not liable for anything if a seller does not follow the terms of its posted privacy policy.
If you see a monitoring organization's logo on a website, you may want to visit the website of that agency to see how trustworthy they are and what kind of monitoring they do.
Many online sites contain programming codes that insert small files―'cookies'―onto your hard drive. Some websites require cookies for visitors to use the site or make purchases; some are used simply to identify site visitors; and some cookies are useful because they keep you from having to re-enter the same personal information every time you visit the site.
But other 'invisible' cookies can actually keep track of the various websites you visit, the searches you do, the amount of time you spend on certain sites, and some can even obtain your e-mail address by the transactions you do online. Marketers can use this information to specifically tailor advertisements they send you.
These cookies are typically referred to as 'adware'. Another type of invisible cookie, 'spyware', is added to your computer when you go to download certain free programs or spend time on certain websites.
These programs are not as harmless as regular cookies; although they can keep track of your online activities, they can also be used by marketers to track what you actually type, including personal information, without you knowing it.
Your web browser has preference settings to allow you to limit, or prevent, sites from installing cookies on your computer. There are also good software or even freeware programs that you can install, and they can warn you about any website that attempts to install cookies, spyware, or adware on your computer.
You can choose to accept, refuse, or control these installations using the tools contained in the software. Some anti-virus packages contain these programs, and some ISPs offer them along with their service packages. For ultimate protection, you may want to install a 'firewall' to prevent unwanted intrusions on your computer.
When you purchase an item from an online seller, often they will offer to send you a confirmation e-mail detailing the transaction. Before agreeing to this confirmation e-mail, be sure to read the seller's privacy policy so you will know how their procedure is handled.
You do not necessarily need a confirmation e-mail as proof of purchase or proof of payment; usually you can simply print the final screen that appears at the end of your transaction, so you will have a record of the purchase.
Keeping a grip on personal information related to your activities online is just as important as keeping a grip on financial information you enter when making an online purchase.
There are always people and companies watching every move website visitors make, and the information they collect can ruin your Internet experiences as well as risk ruining your identity offline. So before you click that Pay Now button to get a great deal, take a few minutes to read the site's privacy policies and be sure you know what you're signing up for.