FC: CDC.gov requires cookies, apparently in violation of WH order

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

I replicated what Twila found. Now, cookies, especially session cookies, 
aren't anywhere near as awful as many people think, but there are two 
points worth noting: (1) CDC appears to be violating a White House 
directive from well over a year ago; (2) there's no reason a government 
site should reject your requests for information if you turn off cookies. 
Also see:

"Feds' hands caught in cookie jar, violating White House order"
http://www.politechbot.com/p-01247.html

-Declan

---

Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 10:45:19 -0500
To: declan () well com
From: Twila Brase <twila () cchc-mn org>
Subject: CDC requires cookies

Dear Declan:

It seems the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has decided not to 
give the public access to archived information unless citizens allow 
cookies to be set.

Without allowing a cookie to be set, their advanced search site refused to 
provided requested documents: 
http://www.phppo.cdc.gov/cdcRecommends/AdvSearchV.asp

I tried it any number of ways without success. There was no message even 
saying that a cookie was required--probably because doing so is not 
allowed. The site merely reloaded and came back with cleared search fields, 
and no additional information. Only when I allowed the cookie to be set, 
did I receive a list of all the documents relating to my search criteria.

Perhaps federal health department officials on your list would like to 
respond. I don't believe that they can require personal identification for 
access to public documents.

Twila Brase, R.N.
President
Citizens' Council on Health Care
651-646-8935p



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