Drkoop.com sale raises e-mail concerns
   http://news.com.com/2100-1017-940968.html

By Alorie Gilbert
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
July 1, 2002, 1:05 PM PT

More than six months after filing for bankruptcy protection,
Drkoop.com is selling its assets, including its members'
e-mail addresses, to Vitacost.com.

The sale of the popular health information site, co-founded
by former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, will be final
by Friday.

Drkoop members have until Sunday to opt-out of having their
e-mail addresses added to the mailing lists of Vitacost.com,
an online vitamin discount shop based in Boynton Beach, Fla.,
and its affiliate HeartCenterOnline, a Web site for
cardiovascular patients.

Drkoop members were notified of the change Monday in an
e-mail signed by Drkoop Vice President Chris Petrovic.

The use of opt-out policies has raised the ire of privacy
advocates, who say that opt-in policies, where the
information stays put until customers actively give their
consent, are fairer. But opt-out policies are becoming more
common on the Web. Yahoo and Best Buy recently introduced
changes to their online privacy ( news - web sites)
policies that required customers to opt-out of the changes
if they chose not to participate.

In order to opt-out of having e-mail addresses and other
personal information transferred to a third party, such as
an acquiring company, customers must proactively send a
request, usually by e-mail or an online form, by a specific
date. If they don't, the information is automatically
transferred.

By taking the opt-out route, Drkoop appears to contradict
the privacy policy posted on its Web site, which states
that personal information provided by visitors, including
e-mail addresses, "will not be disclosed to anyone unless
the visitors indicate that Drkoop may do so."

Other Internet companies that have explicitly barred sharing
user data with any third parties have stumbled into legal
problems when entering into a merger or acquisition. Last
summer, Fry's Electronics' proposed acquisition of
Egghead.com hit a stumbling block because of a disagreement
over the opt-out scheme. Fry's eventually cancelled its
$10 million bid.

Toysmart.com tried to sell its customer list after it went
bankrupt. Ultimately, the data was destroyed after vigorous
complaints from consumer advocacy groups, the Federal Trade
Commission, and a coalition of 39 states that tried to block
the sale.

http://news.com.com/2100-1017-940968.html

_______________________________________________________________

  Control Your Self-Serve Thyroid Account Here
Rules - mailto:[log in to unmask]
NoMail - mailto:[log in to unmask]
Mail - mailto:[log in to unmask]
Not DAILY DIGEST - mailto:[log in to unmask]
DAILY DIGEST - mailto:[log in to unmask]
Stop Attachments - mailto:[log in to unmask]
Force Attachments - mailto:[log in to unmask]
Force Subject: [THYROID] - mailto:[log in to unmask]
Subscribe - <http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?SUBED1=thyroid>
Unsubscribe - mailto:[log in to unmask]
Our Home Page - http://www.Emissary.Net/thyroid/index.html
Thyroid Archives - http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/thyroid.html
Contact List Owners - mailto:[log in to unmask]
_______________________________________________________________