The government is not fully complying with its own Internet privacy rules, a congressional report claimed Friday. The study, culled from reports of 51 inspectors general, found 300 "cookies" on the Web sites of 23 agencies. Cookies are Internet tracking devices . . . . The government is not fully complying with its own Internet privacy rules, a congressional report claimed Friday. The study, culled from reports of 51 inspectors general, found 300 "cookies" on the Web sites of 23 agencies. Cookies are Internet tracking devices that last year were banned, for the most part, from federal Web sites. The small software files can make browsing more convenient by letting sites distinguish user preferences, but they have been criticized for violating privacy because they can track Web surfing. The inspectors general also found 42 Web bugs, invisible files that monitor a site's visitors. "These reports document a real problem - the violation of Americans' privacy by their own government on the Internet," said Sen. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., who released the report with Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn. The two lawmakers sponsored legislation last year requiring agencies to report to Congress on how they collect, share and review personal information on their Web sites. The link for this article located at Nando Times is no longer available. . A recent study unveils the administration's shortcomings in adhering to online security regulations, highlighting issues surrounding data surveillance.. Government Privacy, Internet Compliance, Tracking Devices, Privacy Violations, Web Cookies. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Piracy advocates claim that the use of sophisticated Web bug tracking devices "has grown dramatically" over the past year. More than 30 per cent of Web pages sampled during last year's Christmas season contained new generations of Web bugs that the . . . . Piracy advocates claim that the use of sophisticated Web bug tracking devices "has grown dramatically" over the past year. More than 30 per cent of Web pages sampled during last year's Christmas season contained new generations of Web bugs that the advertising industry is using to secretly track online surfers, said Richard Smith, CTO at the University of Denver's Privacy Foundation. He used a search engine and identified four million Web bugs planted by 30 vendors. Smith said he has found that bugs are planted by the Boston bank he uses for online banking, and on a hotel site offering Internet room-booking services. He said many companies aren't disclosing their use of bugs in their privacy policies, and at least one Web bug version he uncovered searches a user's computer while they are looking at the site. The link for this article located at Lexis-Nexis is no longer available. . Cybersecurity proponents argue that advanced tracking technologies have significantly escalated, affecting individual privacy rights.. Web Bugs, User Tracking, Privacy Risks, Digital Surveillance. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
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