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Cookies enable a company’s system to track a user’s online activities. Examples of information that a cookie can collect from a user includes the computer’s IP address; login name and password; email address; the computer’s operating system and platform; the type of and version number of the user’s browser; the date, time, and length of time the host system was accessed; and the pages visited while the user was online.

Many consumer groups and privacy advocates are taking legal action because of this collection of information. They contend that companies are not doing enough to protect the privacy of web users. As a result of several class-action lawsuits, some online retailers, such as Amazon.com, have revamped their privacy policies. (An overview of Amazon.com’s policy is contained on its website and explains what information the company gathers, why it gathers that information, and by what means it gathers that information.)

Do you think that all online companies should be required to post their policies and explain what information they collect and how it is used? Should you, as a private citizen, have the right to sue companies that collect this information for privacy invasion? Why or why not?