NO PRIVACY ON THE WEB

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Recently, for instance, he learned that Indiana University had a database open to the Net that listed the names, Social Security numbers, phone numbers, research qualifications and job titles of 2,760 faculty members. Roberts grabbed it and published portions on his own site, along with a press release. University officials were not amused. They took the database off line, of course, and sicced the authorities on Roberts, who agreed to take his off line as well. Curiously, though, no one ever asked him to erase the data, which still reside on his home computer. "The only time people care about this is when they can see it. As soon as they can't see it, they think there's no issue. But the problem is still there."

Information brokers point out that databases are the lubricants that keep modern businesses running. Personal data, after all, help establish you as an upstanding citizen and a worthy credit risk--and help creditors track you down in case you're not. "It's not really useful to say that the records could be misused by a few people, so let's remove access for everyone," says Jeff Alperin of Information America, one of the world's largest providers of public records and investigative services. "How in the world could you transfer property if you didn't know who owned it?"

True enough. But where do you draw the line? Last month U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Charles Grassley introduced the Personal Information Privacy act of 1997, which would make it tougher for businesses to sell Social Security numbers, unlisted phone numbers and other kinds of personal data. The legislation was prompted when Feinstein's staff members claimed to have found her Social Security number on the Net in less than three minutes. "People are losing control of their identities," Feinstein says. "Our private lives are becoming commodities with tremendous value in the marketplace."

That's the bad news. The good news is that at least someone is making money on the Web.

--Reported by Declan McCullagh/Washington and Noah Robischon/New York