WASHINGTON, DC - Senate Governmental Affairs
Committee Ranking Member Fred Thompson (R-TN) and Congressman
Jay Inslee (D-WA) today released a report summarizing the
findings of federal agency Internet privacy reports. The report,
which compiled data from 51 Inspectors General, concluded that
agencies’ compliance with privacy policies has been
"inadequate."
Findings of the report included:
-
300 persistent cookies
(information-collecting devices) found on the web sites
of 23 different agencies;
-
14 third-party agreements;
-
42 web bugs, and;
-
27 agencies in clear violation of their
own privacy policies.
"The numerous violations uncovered by the
Inspectors General represent just the tip of the iceberg,"
Thompson said. "The Inspectors General could only include a
tiny fraction of agency web sites in their limited reviews.
Nevertheless, the IGs found hundreds of violations."
According to one report: "116 of 206 State Department web
sites---well over half of the Department's sites reviewed---had
no privacy statements and therefore no means of advising users
of any information collected on the sites."
Inslee commented, "These reports document a
real problem-- the violation of Americans' privacy by their own
government on the Internet. Now that we are clear, the next
obvious step is to determine the best solution, be it
legislative or otherwise. I am working with fellow lawmakers to
address this privacy concern." Inslee added, "Solving
the Internet privacy problem is not just a government issue;
however, we must clean Uncle Sam's house, in addition to
demanding high industry standards."
The Clinton Administration required that
agencies develop privacy policies for their Internet sites and
restricted the use of information-collecting devices known as
"persistent cookies." According to OMB, persistent
cookies raise privacy concerns because they make it
"technically easy" to track Internet users’ browsing
behavior even where that was not the original intent of the web
site operator.
"Because of oversight performed by the IGs
and GAO, we are already seeing improvements on agency web
sites," Thompson said. "I’m glad to see that there
has been such a positive response to our oversight work. Due to
poor web site management, these privacy violations have been
piling up for years. I look forward to continuing to work with
the Administration to ensure citizens’ privacy and security on
agency web sites."
