By Linda Kim
As technology and people's capabilities with technology become more
and more advanced, privacy issues become an ever-increasingly important
concern for individuals. The internet has raised serious privacy questions
as more people have begun to use it to shop, bank, communicate, learn,
and entertain themselves. Many people are not aware of the ways in
which their privacy is being invaded, especially by marketing groups,
and even fewer are aware of what can be done to preserve one's privacy.
EPIC is the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which conducts
public interest research. Centered in Washington, D.C., EPIC works
to focus public attention on civil liberties issues and to protect
privacy, First Amendment rights, and constitutional values. It is
affiliated with various international and national human rights groups
organizations and internet groups.
On epic.org, internet users can find a plethora of information about
privacy and human rights. The site holds a news archive with latest
news reports updated daily about relevant issues and events. From
the EPIC bookstore, internet users can purchase and order EPIC publications
as well as other books about privacy and civil liberties. Internet
users can also subscribe to a newsletter, The EPIC Alert, on civil
liberties in the information age. EPIC's Online Guide to Practical
Privacy Tools provides information on how to get encryption programs,
anonymous remailers, and how to surf the net anonymously. EPIC's Online
Guide to Privacy Resources lists sites, newsletters, conferences,
and organizations on and off the internet where people can learn more
about privacy. Epic.org also features Policy Archives with legal documents,
press releases, court cases, and other documents about privacy and
internet policy. Finally, with EPIC's Litigation Docket, one can learn
about specific court cases dealing with privacy, First Amendment rights,
etc. and how to defend one's rights regarding the internet.
The EPIC website is an excellent source of valuable privacy information
for consumers and internet users. The site includes documents that
can be readily understood by people unfamiliar with legal jargon so
that all can be informed about their rights and liberties. Yet the
site is comprehensive and features the relevant court cases, publications,
and documents that deal with these issues at a deeper level. Since
there are so many sources of information on the site, a better organization
or structure to the site would much improve the navigability of it,
especially for novice or impatient internet surfers. The information
is all there, however, and the links are fairly clear so obtaining
the information is not difficult. EPIC.org is a great site to begin
learning about one's privacy rights on the web.