Interesting People mailing list archives

IRGENT PRIVACY ISSUE WITH the new White House web site?


From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:12:45 -0500



Begin forwarded message:

From: Karl Auerbach <karl () cavebear com>
Date: January 20, 2009 5:16:27 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Cc: ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
Subject: Re: [IP] Re: anyone know who built the new White House web site?

David Farber wrote:

Subject: Re: [IP] anyone know who built the new White House web site?

That new website contains a web tracking bug that feeds access data to a private tracking company (webtrendslive).

And that web bug does not appear to be noted in the new whitehouse site's privacy policy.

A while back I noted that the US Weather Service is equally feeding user access data to a private company, in that case Google, without any disclosure of this in their privacy policy, nor, in the case of the Weather Service, any response when a note is sent to their privacy officer.

These may well be inadvertent things done by civil service webmasters, but they demonstrate how easily even well intended government agencies can slip onto the path of leaking information about citizens' use of their government's services or citizens' access to their government's information.

                --karl--






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