Privacy issues were noted as the
top three concerns of Internet users, and more than two-thirds
of Internet users cited privacy as being the key basis for
deciding whether to use a particular Internet site.
Recent Federal Trade Commission
data indicates that these fears are reasonable, noting that 23.7
million Americans have been victims of identity theft in the
last five years, including almost 10 million people in the last
year alone. In 2003, individuals lost an average of $1,180
totaling $3.8 billion.