Security concerns

For both companies and consumers that participate in online business, security concerns are very

important. Many consumers are hesitant to buy items over the Internet because they do not trust that

their personal information will remain private. Recently, some companies that do business online have

been caught giving away or selling information about their customers. Several of these companies have

guarantees on their websites, claiming customer information will be private. By selling customer

information, these companies are breaking their own, publicized policy. Some companies that buy customer

information offer the option for individuals to have their information removed from the database (known

as opting out). However, many customers are unaware that their information is being shared and are

unable to stop the transfer of their information between companies.

Security concerns are of great importance and online companies have been working hard to create

solutions. Encryption is one of the main methods for dealing with privacy and security concerns on the

Internet. Encryption is defined as the conversion of data into a form called a cipher. This cipher

cannot be easily intercepted unless an individual is authorized by the program or company that completed

the encryption. In general, the stronger the cipher, the better protected the data is. However, the

stronger the cipher, the more expensive encryption becomes.


Effects on industries
Internet marketing has had a large impact on several industries including music, banking, and flea

markets - not to mention the advertising industry itself.