The Obama administration has reversed another Bush policy, one that will allow the federal government to use cookies to track you.
July 28, 2009, 06:22 PM — Computerworld —
Privacy advocates are raising questions about a proposal to revamp the use of tracking cookies on federal government Web sites.
Under the proposal, U.S. government agencies would be allowed to use single-session and multi-session cookies, including persistent cookies, to track users -- as long as security and privacy standards governing the collection and use of tracking information are met. The agencies would have to post clear notice of data collection and allow users to opt-out.
The idea is to make government Web sites more user-friendly and to enable better customer service and Web analytics, according to federal CIO Vivek Kundra and Michael Fitzpatrick, the associate administrator at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. They wrote about the proposed changes in a blog post Friday.
Agencies and the public have until Aug. 10 to comment on the proposal, which came from the Office of Management and Budget.
If the plan is adopted, it would mark a departure from a policy first put in place in 2000 and updated in 2003 that prohibits government sites from using persistent cookies "or any other means" such as Web beacons to track visitor activity, unless agency heads authorize thier use. When tracking cookies are used, agencies must conspicuously post the reasons for collecting information, spell out the sort of data collected and detail privacy safeguards.
full article @ Use of tracking cookies on government sites sparks privacy concern | ITworld
July 28, 2009, 06:22 PM — Computerworld —
Privacy advocates are raising questions about a proposal to revamp the use of tracking cookies on federal government Web sites.
Under the proposal, U.S. government agencies would be allowed to use single-session and multi-session cookies, including persistent cookies, to track users -- as long as security and privacy standards governing the collection and use of tracking information are met. The agencies would have to post clear notice of data collection and allow users to opt-out.
The idea is to make government Web sites more user-friendly and to enable better customer service and Web analytics, according to federal CIO Vivek Kundra and Michael Fitzpatrick, the associate administrator at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. They wrote about the proposed changes in a blog post Friday.
Agencies and the public have until Aug. 10 to comment on the proposal, which came from the Office of Management and Budget.
If the plan is adopted, it would mark a departure from a policy first put in place in 2000 and updated in 2003 that prohibits government sites from using persistent cookies "or any other means" such as Web beacons to track visitor activity, unless agency heads authorize thier use. When tracking cookies are used, agencies must conspicuously post the reasons for collecting information, spell out the sort of data collected and detail privacy safeguards.
full article @ Use of tracking cookies on government sites sparks privacy concern | ITworld
