Privacy and the Online Hotel Customer: An Analysis of the Use of Fair Information Practices by International Hotel Companies.

Consumer privacy concerns are threatening to stall the growth of e-commerce. Although regulatory philosophies differ between Europe and the US, there is agreement on certain global principles, namely notice, choice, onward transfer, access, security, integrity and enforcement. A content analysis of the privacy policies of the 30 largest international hotel brands revealed that 25% fully complied with these guidelines, 69% partially complied and only 7% failed to include a policy of any kind. Transgressions most often occurred in terms of Choice, Security and Integrity, indicating an unsophisticated approach to the management of consumer information on the part of the hotel companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]