Internet privacy is--or should be--the choice of Internet users to keep personal and proprietary information transmitted through the Internet confidential.  Whether you use web browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer and regardless of security settings including cookie settings, websites and Internet companies could be tracking your web browsing, ecommerce purchasing patterns and your overall online behavior. Companies track you online because the information is valuable to them and to companies trying to advertise and sell you their products and services.  Your Internet surfing should be important to you and most Internet users have a strong desire to keep such personal information, private and protected from unauthorized disclosure to unknown third parties.

Your personally identifiable information (commonly referred to as “P.I.I.”) has personal value and includes the web browsers you use, the Internet Service Providers you subscribe to, the software you have installed and use on your computers, websites you visit and the social networks you are members of.  Your PII is bought and sold as if it is the newest commodity. For example, your profile on Facebook would be considered PII.  

Federal and State laws protect your Internet Privacy.  Title 18 of the United States Code § 2510 is the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and it makes it a violation for someone or some company to intercept or endeavor to intercept, or procure any other person to intercept a wire, oral, or electronic communication and doing of such act intentionally. That includes going into your browser cache and local storage (also referred to as DOM storage), placing Adobe Flash Local Stored Objects (commonly referred to as “LSOs”) onto your computer without your permission, or re-creating cookies previously deleted by you. Companies do this in order to obtain  files and proprietary information stored on your computer, including your PII.

If you suspect that a website or a dotcom is violating your right to privacy by unauthorized use of your profile or by tracking you in a manner not disclosed to you, then contact our Los Angeles Internet Privacy Attorneys for a free consultation.