O. Confidentiality: Avoiding Electronic Footprints

• Author: Ted Tjaden
• Profession: National Director of Knowledge Management McMillan LLP
• Pages: 132-133

Page 132

Another potential risk of disclosure on the Internet is in inadvertently identifying one’s self or a client’s interest by leaving "electronic foot-

Page 133

prints" on various websites being visited on behalf of a client. When you use a Web browser to find information on a website, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) has the technical capability of tracking the details of your visits (due to the volume of traffic, it is unlikely it would have the time to do this on a regular basis). In addition, the website you are visiting can gather basic information about you, including the time you visited the site, the identity of your ISP, and even your e-mail address (if you have provided this information). In addition, your browser has "cookie" technology, which - if enabled - leaves information in a "cookie" text file on your computer that provides information about you the next time you visit the same website. In addition, although the risk is likely extremely low, there is a potential opportunity for hackers to eavesdrop on your Internet activity. Since lawyers have strict professional obligations to protect a client’s confidentiality, and although the risk of disclosure is likely extremely low, some legal researchers...