Internet a jungle

I would like to thank Mr. C. Brouerius van Nidek, who suggested in this column (The Jakarta Post, Nov. 11, 1996) that I follow up on Mr. Osvaldo Coelho's report. In fact, I have also read similar reports in other publications that fully support what Mr. Coelho has said. Especially when you make purchases through the Net, the data about you is automatically captured and kept in various databases, which will later be used for all sorts of marketing efforts.

The problem is, the Internet is really a jungle. There's no enforceable law. There's only nettiquette that people can choose to ignore if they wish. But I guess that's just what makes it so exciting. Nonetheless, I'll do my best to write for you whatever I have learned concerning this issue.

At the moment, unfortunately, I still don't have an e-mail address yet. I hope that soon I will be able to communicate with Mr. Van Nidek and other readers of The Jakarta Post via the Net.

ZATNI ARBI

Jakarta