Some of the data collection and privacy problems associated with the World Wide Web in the first half of 1998 are summarized in this interesting article. The big problems concerning data acquisition and privacy are briefly discussed, though there is no mention of unscrupulous data collectors who create Web sites for the express purpose of gathering information about the people who visit them. Some techniques are described for navigating anonymously on the Web. These techniques can range from the use of www.anonymizer.com to the use of experimental methods such as a “crowd” to forward a data request from a set of people using the Web. The forwarding is done in such a way that the receiver does not know who originated the request.

In retrospect, this entire article seems rather mild in comparison to the firestorm of controversy that was created earlier this year with the announcement of the Pentium III and its built-in serial number. The Pentium III serial number, a unique 96-digit number assigned to the processor at the time of fabrication, could theoretically allow any Web site to collect detailed information about users.