Report: Govt. Web Sites Invade Privacy

W A S H I N G T O N, April 17 -- Dozens of federal Web sites use unauthorizedsoftware that tracks Internet users despite policy rules that bansuch information-gathering, according to a report to Congress.

The true scope of the problem has not been identified. Thereport said the National Aeronautics and Space Administration couldnot even determine how many Web sites it operates, so investigatorscould not say how many of them might be using the trackingsoftware.

The report was culled from 16 agency audits, a third of theaudits in the works. The other agencies are expected to releasetheir findings within a few months, said Sen. Fred Thompson,R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee.

Government Sites Track Users

Thompson released the report Monday. It said investigators found64 federal Web sites that used unauthorized files that allowed themto track the browsing and buying habits of Internet users.

In many instances, the agencies said they did not know thetracking technology was being used. But some agencies say theybenefit from the data gathered by the electronic "cookies," asthe technology is called.

A cookie is a small software file that allows an Internet siteto identify a specific computer that logs on to the site. Cookiescan make browsing more convenient by letting sites distinguish userpreferences, but the device has been attacked as an intrusion onprivacy because they can track the kinds of Web sites frequented bya specific computer.

The U.S. Mint uses the software to operate an online shoppingcart that is similar to what can be found on many e-commerce sites.

The departments of Education, Treasury, Energy, Interior andTransportation used unauthorized cookies, as did NASA and theGeneral Services Administration, the report said.

It did not estimate how many people visited the sites during theaudit, which occurred late last year and early this year.

The company Jupiter Media Metrix, which tracks Internet usage,said government sites are popular. The company estimates that 3.5million Internet users went to NASA's Web site in March, and 2.2million people visited the Education Department's site.