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A Web site operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) today discontinued marking visitors with a unique identification tag, or "cookie," after a non-profit group complained about the practice. The use of "persistent" cookies at the CIA's Electronic Reading Room . . . . A Web site operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) today discontinued marking visitors with a unique identification tag, or "cookie," after a non-profit group complained about the practice. The use of "persistent" cookies at the CIA's Electronic Reading Room (ERR) site, which provides online access to previously released CIA documents, violated federal privacy guidelines and the agency's own privacy policy, according to Public Information Research (PIR), a Texas-based non-profit which reported the practice to the agency Friday. The link for this article located at NewsBytes is no longer available. . A federal agency's portal stops employing distinctive tracking files for visitors post privacy concerns, enhancing user confidentiality.. CIA Cookies, Privacy Issues, User Anonymity. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
At least 23 agency sites still have more than 300 cookies, one year after the Office of Management and Budget restricted the use of tracking technologies on public government sites. Those are the findings of a study compiled from the reports . . . . At least 23 agency sites still have more than 300 cookies, one year after the Office of Management and Budget restricted the use of tracking technologies on public government sites. Those are the findings of a study compiled from the reports of 51 inspectors general--part of a mandate from Congress that arose after the General Accounting Office reported last October that at least 13 agencies were using cookies. The new report also found 42 Web bugs--graphic images (often invisible) that monitor users' activity--and 27 agencies in clear violation of their own privacy policies. Within the Department of Commerce's Web sites, 23 pages had Web bugs exchanging information with non-government computers. At the Department of Health and Human Services, 21 sites designed for children didn't have privacy statements, making them non-compliant with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The link for this article located at Information Week is no longer available. . Despite the passage of a full year, over 20 agency websites continue to deploy more than 300 cookies each, contravening the privacy guidelines established by OMB.. Online Privacy Violation, Federal Agency Compliance, Government Transparency, Tracking Technology Issues. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Richard Smith has dedicated himself to demanding high security and privacy standards of Internet companies. A veteran computer programmer, Smith knows how information collected through technology can be manipulated in ways the developer never intended. Currently the chief technology officer at . . . . Richard Smith has dedicated himself to demanding high security and privacy standards of Internet companies. A veteran computer programmer, Smith knows how information collected through technology can be manipulated in ways the developer never intended. Currently the chief technology officer at the Privacy Foundation, Smith has gained prominence for revealing tracking technologies within software programs, operating systems and Internet services, including high-profile privacy flaws at RealNetworks and Microsoft. A kind of ethical hacker, Smith uses the Internet to spy on the spies, such as his recent discovery that Microsoft Word documents can contain electronic surveillance tags that allow authors to track their use. Such "computer-bites-man" stories add fuel to a privacy debate fire that began earlier this year with the DoubleClick-Abacus Direct merger. Since then, online profiling practices by marketers have become a flash point with legislators, consumer advocates and the public, who are concerned that personally identifiable information can be linked to data collected about online habits. The link for this article located at CNET is no longer available. . Richard Smith has dedicated himself to demanding high security and privacy standards of Internet com. richard, smith, dedicated, himself, demanding, security, privacy, standards, internet. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
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