Privacy is one of those things you don't appreciate until you lose it. And the Internet and our electronic, computer-driven society are changing the matter of privacy in fundamental ways.
If you haven't thought much about who might be monitoring you as your surf the Net, e-mail a friend or electronically pay your taxes or file a medical claim, you'll be interested in the book, "I Love the Internet, But I Want My Privacy, Too!" (Prima Publishing, Rocklin, Calif., $16.95 paperback).Chris Peterson's well-written 226-page volume is a thoughtful exploration of some of the real privacy concerns that arise from playing with those electrons.
Let's say you got cold feet at the altar and ran from the church before saying "I do." You moved to another state and told no one, least of all your almost-bride's relatives and friends. Are you safe? If your telephone number is listed -- and sometimes, even if it isn't -- your name, address and phone number are only a few mouse clicks away, And so is a map with directions to your house!
And you might not have realized it, but someone is picking your pocket, often on a daily basis. Oh, the amounts are small but if you pay for Internet access, you are essentially paying for connect time, and someone sending spam (unsolicited e-mail) is stealing that time.
As Peterson points out, spam constitutes fraud. It's fundamentally different from postal junk mail, which costs the sender postage and which you can often identify unopened before placing it in the wastebasket.
The book points out that few Net surfers realize their online activities are often tracked by the sites they visit and that this information is used and sold.
While most are aware that chat rooms can have a dark side, the book cautions you to assume nothing from an online handle. Sure, "Amy14" in a chat room could be a 14-year-old girl, but it could also be a 60-year-old man or a convicted murderer. There's simply no way to tell, and you should take precautions.
The book also deals with the issue of children on the Internet. While much noise has been made about children having access to adult material on the Net, the book also raises the question of marketing approaches aimed at kids.
Included are a list of online privacy resources, and places to report and combat spam, pedophiles, con artists and such.
Peterson makes the point that the technology being used to invade privacy can also be used to protect it. Since the Internet and computers are probably here to stay, and since we all do things we don't want the world to see, it's an important issue and one the book explores well.
Prima Publishing Web site is www.primapublishing.com.