To understand the issues concerning online privacy, you must first understand
some basic concepts:
• Privacy is the moral right of individuals to be left alone, free from surveillance
or interference from others.
• Information privacy includes both the claim that certain information should not
be collected at all by governments or business firms, and the claim of individuals
to control the use of information about themselves.
• Due process as embodied by the Fair Information Practices doctrine, informed
consent, and opt-in/opt-out policies also plays an important role in privacy.