Web Privacy with P3P

Web site developers balance their need to collect information about users with their obligation to show respect for their users' privacy. The Platform for Privacy Preferences Project, or P3P, has emerged as a technology that may satisfy the wishes of both parties.

Developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), P3P gives users more control over the amount of information they disclose about themselves as they browse the Web, and allows web sites to declare to browsers what sort of information they will request of users. The number of web developers using P3P continues to grow. P3P support is now built into the newest browsers, including Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, and Mozilla.

Web Privacy with P3P explains the P3P protocol and shows web site developers how to configure their sites for P3P compliance. Author Lorrie Faith Cranor, chair of the Platform for Privacy Preferences Project (P3P) Specification Working Group at the W3C and co-author of the P3P1.0 specification, explains the inner workings of the P3P protocol while maintaining a hands-on implementation approach.

Following a foreword by Stanford Law professor Lawrence Lessig, the book begins with an introduction to P3P and an overview of online privacy concerns and the laws governing online privacy. Cranor discusses existing privacy technology, such as encryption tools, filters and identity management tools. Next, the book shows you how to P3P-enable your own site. Among the many topics covered are:

• P3P deployment steps
  
• P3P policy syntax
  
• Creating P3P policies
  
• Creating and referencing policy reference files
  
• Data schemas
  

Full of examples and case studies, Web Privacy with P3P delivers practical advice and insider tips. Software developers, privacy consultants, corporate decision-makers, lawyers, public policy-makers, and any individual interested in online privacy issues will find this book a necessary reference.

Table of Contents

Foreword 

Preface 

Part I. Privacy and P3P

1. Introduction to P3P
2. The Online Privacy Landscape
3. Privacy Technology
4. P3P History

Part II. P3P-Enabling Your Web Site

5. Overview and Options
6. P3P Policy Syntax
7. Creating P3P Policies
8. Creating and Referencing Policy Reference Files
9. Data Schemas
10. P3P-Enabled Web Site Examples

Part III. P3P Software and Design

11. P3P Vocabulary Design Issues
12. P3P User Agents and Other Tools

13. A P3P Preference Exchange Language (APPEL)
14. User Interface

Part IV. Appendixes

A. P3P Policy and Policy Reference File Syntax Quick Reference
B. Configuring Web Servers to Include P3P Headers
C. P3P in IE6
D. How to Create a Customized Privacy Import File for IE6
E. P3P Guiding Principles
Index