TIME: Privacy On The Web

Rotenberg thinks we need a new government agency--a privacy agency--to sort out the issues. "We need new legal protections," he says, "to enforce the privacy act, to keep federal agencies in line, to act as a spokesperson for the Federal Government and to act on behalf of privacy interests."

Wired's Kelly disagrees. "A federal privacy agency would be disastrous! The answer to the whole privacy question is more knowledge," he says. "More knowledge about who's watching you. More knowledge about the information that flows between us--particularly the meta information about who knows what and where it's going."

"We need new legal protections to enforce the privacy act, to keep federal agencies in line, to act as a spokesperson for the Federal Government and to act on behalf of privacy interests." Marc Rotenberg, director of the Washington- based Electronic Privacy Information Center.

I'm with Kelly. The only guys who insist on perfect privacy are hermits like the Unabomber. I don't want to be cut off from the world. I have nothing to hide. I just want some measure of control over what people know about me. I want to have my magic cookie and eat it too. --With reporting by William Dowell and Noah Robischon/New York and Declan McCullagh and Bruce van Voorst/Washington

HOW YOU'RE SPIED ON

Everyday events that can make your life a little less private

BANK MACHINES
Every time you use an automated teller, the bank records the time, date and location of your transaction.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
If you use your company health insurance to purchase drugs, your employer may have access to the details.

EMPLOYEE ID SCANNERS
If you rely on a magnetic-stripe pass to enter the office, your whereabouts are automatically recorded.

BROWSING ON THE WEB
Many sites tag visitors with "magic cookies" that record what you're looking at and when you have been surfing.

CELLULAR TELEPHONE
Your calls can be intercepted and your access numbers cribbed by eavesdroppers with police scanners.

CREDIT CARDS
Everything you charge is in a database that police, among others, could look at.

REGISTERING TO VOTE
In most states, voter-registration records are public and online. They typically list your address and birth date.

MAKING A PHONE CALL
The phone company doesn't need a court order to note the number you're calling--or who's calling you.

SUPERMARKET SCANNERS
Many grocery stores let you register for discount coupons that are used to track what you purchase.

SWEEPSTAKES
These are bonanzas for marketers. Every time you enter one, you add an electronic brushstroke to your digital portrait.

SATELLITES
Commercial satellites are coming online that are eagle-eyed enough to spot you--and maybe a companion--in a hot tub.

ELECTRONIC TOLLS
In many places, drivers can pay tolls electronically with passes that tip off your whereabouts.

SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS
they're in banks, federal office buildings, 7-elevens, even houses of worship; new yorkers are on camera up to 20 times a day.

MAIL-ORDER TRANSACTIONS
Many companies, including mail-order houses and publishers, sell lists of their customers. Why do you think you're getting that Victoria's Secret catalog?

SENDING E-MAIL
In offices, E-mail is considered part of your work. Your employer is allowed to read it--and many bosses do.

5 of 6