This policy is specific about what information is collected on these sites. As such, it’s very lengthy, with more than 20 pages of description. It’s unfortunate that the policy doesn’t account for the individual collection practices of each of the offspring sites to help users decide which ones they would prefer to visit. Some information is collected once and reused, such as logon information.

Similar to Yahoo, much of the policy tries to sell users on sharing their information. There’s also the veiled threat that failure to provide information may disable portions of the service. This might be considered disingenuous, given the current political climate, but that may also be why it’s done.

The policy includes a fairly extensive description of the protection of children online, including compliance and beyond with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

Finally, the policy includes some pointers on how to protect your privacy online, which is refreshing. Sections such as "Know the risks" and "Educate yourself" should help to alert users to potential pitfalls on the Web. Now we just have to get folks to read these things. Can’t wait for P3P.

Seals
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Information Collection

Information Sharing

Privacy Policy Features

Lycos' Response:

The information in both the Lycos Network privacy policy and on Lycos Zone, the Lycos Network's children's site, is comprehensive. Lycos Zone does not collect personal information from anyone under the age of 13. Both it and its partners have limited "parent or teacher" sections to provide useful information for educational and at-home use of the Internet and Lycos Zone. The Lycos Network took great pains to create and implement the Lycos Family Membership in order to comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Users cannot register (i.e. give personal information) on the Lycos Network if they are under 13. If you enter an age in the registration system of the network, you are taken to the Family Membership pages, where information is provided to parents and where credit cards are used to verify the age of the parent or guardian. That membership process and the notice to parents about COPPA are in the Lycos privacy policy--to a much greater degree than in many, if not most, other sites out there.

Like Yahoo and other top portals, we offer free services because we sell ads and send E-mails. We also offer the benefits of personalization. By registering at Lycos, your experience on the Web is made more personal and enjoyable, and you see ads and offers for products and services that we hope will appeal specifically to you, all for free.

To address your questions, the goal of our privacy policy is simple: disclosure. Sure, we're aware of privacy concerns. We rely on our technology to help us there. We are building and maintaining relationships based on trust. Anything short of full disclosure is unacceptable to us and our customers. We say what we do and do what we say. We educate our users where and when appropriate with extras on Internet safety, but the privacy policy is really about disclosure.