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Internet users seem concerned about how organizations may use or abuse personal information supplied online, whether such information is supplied willingly or without informed consent. This can be a disincentive to online purchasing: website characteristics that convey security and privacy have been found to be the most reliable indicators of purchase intent. Similar attitudes exist within the business community, albeit for different reasons. The picture is also enduring: in a three year survey of online companies it was found that privacy was consistently the most important policy issue. Online personal information There are a number of distinct elements to the fears that people have regarding online capture of personal information. Perhaps the most important is the fear of fraud. Fraud online, as offline, can occur through deception or through data interception. In both circumstances, there has been a failure to apply the principle of informed consent. Other potential misuses of pers

By Maria Bruno-Britz Bank Systems & Technology Consumers' love affair with electronic forms of payment is stronger than ever, according to a recent report by Boston-based Dove Consulting, a division of Hitachi Consulting, and the American Bankers Association (ABA; Washington, D.C.). The 2005/2006 Study of Consumer Payment Preferences reports that consumers choose electronic payments for the majority of their payments -- whether in stores, online or for bills. Cash and checks account for 45 percent of consumers' monthly payments, down from 57 percent in the 2001 study. "Bill payment is the last bastion of paper-based payments," says Melissa Fox, a Dove senior analyst involved with the study. But, she notes, electronic bill pay is gaining momentum. Indeed, Fox relates, consumers' new favorite forms of e-payments appear to be online bill pay and gift cards. According to the report, checks account for 49 percent of consumers' monthly bill payments, down from 7