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.