Junk Mail Volume Early Indication of Personal Privacy Risk; Online Privacy Quiz Assesses Consumer Risk Against National

LA JOLLA, CA, May 20 (MARKET WIRE) --
According to a new study conducted by Harris Interactive(R), consumers are
unaware of 12 everyday activities, including entering a sweepstakes, having a
baby,
getting married or filling out a warranty card, that can compromise the
security of personal information. This can lead to increased profiling without
consent
and greater exposure to identity theft, along with increased paper junk mail
volume -- an unnecessary drain on the environment.

Take a free privacy quiz and compare your risk level against the national
average.

According to Steven Gal, CEO of ProQuo, a leading authority on privacy
issues,
one of the early indicators that a consumer's personal information may be
widely available in the data trade industry is the amount of junk mail they
receive. The average person receives approximately 40 pounds of paper junk mail
per year, with obvious consequences to the environment. Through ProQuo.com,
consumers can pro-actively remove themselves from major data broker marketing
and mailing lists, while also indicating what type of offers, if any, they do
want to receive. The service is free.

Hear more from Steven Gal in an interview on the BNET Business Network.

Results from the study show that 73 percent of adults entered a
sweepstakesin the past six months, but less than half (48 percent) were aware
that doing
so can put their personal information at risk. Sixty-nine percent of
respondents were unaware that donating to a political campaign could compromise
control over personal information.

Other seemingly harmless but potentially risky behaviors include applying
for a
home mortgage, signing up for a supermarket discount card, applying for a credit
card in a retail store or enrolling in a rewards program such as frequent
flyer or hotel points programs. Gal said consumers' personal data is bought and
sold many times over as part of a little-known $10 billion per year data
trade industry. "While we don't expect consumers to change their day-to-day
behavior, we do want them to be aware of how these activities can put their
privacy at risk."

Survey Methodology The Privacy and Personal Information survey was
commissioned by ProQuo, Inc. and conducted online by Harris Interactive between
March
13 and March 17, 2008. A full methodology is available.

Contact:
Chad Darwin
Email Contact
213.996.3776

Copyright 2008, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

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