WSJ.com begins tracking personal user information without consent

WSJ.com | Dan Gillmor
The Wall Street Journal has revised the privacy policy for WSJ.com to permit the site to connect a user’s Web browsing data with personally identifiable information without consent. Previously, the policy stated that it would ask for users’ permission before doing so. The Journal’s own Digits blog reports that the change will enable more personalized information and services. Dan Gillmor calls it “a crappy and hypocritical move” in light of the Journal’s extensive reporting on online privacy invasions. “Remember: I and other Journal readers are paying real money to use that site. We are not getting something for free in return for handing over some personal information. The Journal is just greedy.” Alan Murray, executive editor for online at the Journal, tweets that Gillmor’s take is “a bit overwrought. We are not sharing your data with anyone. Our commitment to privacy is evident in how we did Facebook app.”