Rutt Bridges

In the following viewpoint, Rutt Bridges contends that personal data-collecting by Internet merchants should be regulated. According to Bridges, current law allows online merchants to deposit “bugs” or “cookies” on consumers’ hard drives that can track customers’ movements through cyberspace and obtain personal information about them. In addition, Bridges maintains that online merchants frequently sell the personal data they collect to other companies, which infringes on consumers’ right to privacy. Rutt Bridges writes for the Denver Rocky Mountain News.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. In what specific ways do Web bugs invade a user’s privacy, according to Bridges?
2. According to the author, to whom do merchants sell personal data?
3. What is one of the fears that users searching for disease- related information might have about personal...