[IP] Re: URGENT PRIVACY ISSUE WITH the new White House web site? CORRECTION

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Gene Gaines <cheryl.gaines@gainesgroup.com>
Date: January 21, 2009 4:43:19 AM EST
To: dave@farber.net
Cc: Karl Auerbach <karl@cavebear.com>
Subject: Re: [IP] IRGENT PRIVACY ISSUE WITH   the new White House web  
site? CORRECTION

Karl, Dave

CORRECTION, PLEASE.

The new White House privacy statement appears both complete
and excellent to me.

Perhaps the privacy statement served to you was incomplete,
I would imagine that files had to propagate through a number of
servers, in view of the volume of hits the new source must have
experienced since noon Jan. 20.  Perhaps you accessed an early,
incomplete version.

Regarding tracking cookies, here is an excerpt from the current
privacy statement at http://www.whitehouse.gov/privacy:

- - - BEGIN QUOTE - - -

Cookies: A cookie is a tiny piece of data stored by a user's browser  
that helps a web site or service recognize that user's unique  
computer. You can remove or block cookies by changing the settings of  
your browser.

Session specific cookies may be used on WhiteHouse.gov to improve the  
user experience and for basic web metrics. These cookies expire in a  
very short time frame or when a browser window closes and are  
permitted by current federal guidelines.

The federal government has guidelines for the use of persistent  
cookies available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda/m03-22.html#20 
. The goals of the guidelines are to enable the useful functioning of  
federal websites while protecting individual privacy."

- - - END QUOTE - - -

The privacy statements goes on to define policy regarding a  
'persistent cookie' set by third party providers when you click to  
play a video, and how the user my avoid the persistent cookie.

I commend the entire Privacy Statement to you.
I find it excellent.
Note.  The quoted link above is incorrect.  The OMB (Office of  
Management and Budget) policy statement on privacy provisions for  
Executive Branch web sites can still be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda/m03-22.aspx

Gene Gaines
Sterling, Virginia



David Farber wrote:
> 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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