Companies that collect information on their Web customers should avoid the temptation of the dark side of e-business -- spam and privacy abuse -- at least, that's the opinion of one speaker at today's InternetWorld 2000 conference in Sydney.
Companies that abuse the information gained in data mining risk a backlash unless they start showing some respect for consumers, according to journalist Ken Freed of US company Media Visions Web Design.
Freed told delegates he was raising questions about data mining and privacy theft, but his presentation revolved mostly around the murky issue of junk e-mail.
Freed pointed the finger firmly at marketing and advertising companies as the main culprits when it comes to spam.
"They are looking at you (the consumer) as prey. Your mailbox belongs to them as far as they are concerned," he said.
But what can Internet users do about the situation? Not much, apparently. Freed said he was opposed to any attempt to regulate e-mail marketing. He said companies will be forced to clean up their act anyway. "Public demand is driven by the private market .violators of people's privacy will lose market share in the end."
"It's not up to the government to change the legislation. We don't want it to go that far," Freed said.
Freed also referred to spidering and web farming which are common technologies used to gather information from Web sites.
"When we seek this data we are violating other people's rights without asking for their permission," Freed said. "If you don't ask permission first before you take information then you have violated my rights."
