ZGram - 3/20/2002 - "The CIA likes cookies"

irimland@zundelsite.org irimland@zundelsite.org
Wed, 20 Mar 2002 20:12:50 -0800


--============_-1195438524==_ma============
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"




Copyright (c) 2002 - Ingrid A. Rimland

ZGram - Where Truth is Destiny

March 20, 2002

Good Morning from the Zundelsite:


CIA removes forbidden Web tracking software after complaint

DAVID HO, Associated Press Writer	 	Tuesday, March 19, 2002
Breaking News Sections

------------------------------------------------------------------------

(03-19) 15:51 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --

The CIA got caught with a hand in the Internet cookie jar.

The agency removed tracking software known as a "cookie" from one of 
its Web sites this week after a private group discovered the banned 
practice, said Mike Stepp, who manages the CIA's public Web site.

"It was a mistake on our part. It was not intentional," Stepp said 
Tuesday. "The public does not need to be concerned that the CIA is 
tracking them. We're a bit busy to be doing that."

Cookies are small software files often placed on computers without a 
person's knowledge. The files can make Internet browsing more 
convenient by letting sites distinguish user preferences, but they 
have been criticized for violating privacy because they can track Web 
surfing.

The government issued strict rules for how federal agencies may use 
cookies in 2000 after it was discovered that the White House drug 
policy office had used the technology to track computer users viewing 
its online anti-drug advertising. The rules ban the use of 
"persistent" cookies, which track Web habits over years.

One of those long-lasting cookies was found Thursday on a CIA site by 
Daniel Brandt, president of Public Information Research, a private 
San Antonio-based group that preserves publications related to 
intelligence and business.

Brandt said he discovered the cookie, which keeps working until 2010, 
when he was looking at the Web site for the CIA's Electronic Reading 
Room, which provides access to previously released agency documents.

"They're not supposed to be doing this," Brandt said. He said he was 
particularly concerned because the reading room site allows users 
seeking documents to search for particular words.

"The keywords you put in reveal an incredible amount about what 
you're looking for and what your interests are," Brandt said. "It 
would be very, very tempting to track that kind of information."

A notice on the CIA Web site states: "The Central Intelligence Agency 
Web site does NOT use the 'cookies' that some Web sites use to gather 
and store information about your visits to their sites."

Brandt sent e-mail to the CIA with his concerns and the agency 
responded on Monday, removing the cookie and some other temporary 
cookies that were discovered.

Stepp said an outside company had redesigned the reading room Web 
site, which was posted to the Internet on Jan. 29.

"Unbeknownst to us, it was loaded with some software, commercial 
off-the-shelf software used for Web analysis," Stepp said. The 
software included a cookie that tracked repeat visitors to the site.

To make sure no improper information about site visitors had been 
recorded, Stepp said two sets of log files would be destroyed.

Congress issued a study last summer that found 300 cookies still on 
the Web sites of 23 agencies despite the government ban.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the Net:

CIA Electronic Reading Room: www.foia.ucia.gov/

Public Information Research site on CIA cookie: www.pir.org/ciascan.html

=====

(Source: 
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/03/19/financial1851EST0366.DTL 
)

=====

Thought for the Day:

"The Internet:  An instrument of massive instruction."

(Courtesy of the Revisionist Adelaide website, 
http://www.adelaideinstitute.org/ )

--============_-1195438524==_ma============
Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"

<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN">
<html><head><style type="text/css"><!--
blockquote, dl, ul, ol, li { padding-top: 0 ; padding-bottom: 0 }
 --></style><title>ZGram - 3/20/2002 - &quot;The CIA likes
cookies&quot;</title></head><body>
<div><font face="Times New Roman"
color="#000000"><b><br></b></font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman"
color="#000000"><b><br></b></font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman"
color="#000000"><b><br></b></font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><b>Copyright (c)
2002 - Ingrid A. Rimland<br>
<br>
ZGram - Where Truth is Destiny<br>
<br>
March 20, 2002<br>
<br>
Good Morning from the Zundelsite:<font size="-1"><br>
</font></b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="+1"
color="#000000"><b><br>
<br>
CIA removes forbidden Web tracking software after complaint<br>
</b></font><font face="Geneva" size="-2" color="#000000"><br>
DAVID HO, Associated Press Writer</font><font face="Times New Roman"
size="-4" color="#000000"><x-tab>
</x-tab>&nbsp;<x-tab>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
</x-tab></font><font face="Geneva" size="-2" color="#00008B">Tuesday,
March 19, 2002</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="-4"
color="#000000"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="-4"
color="#000066"><b>Breaking News Sections</b></font><font
face="Times New Roman" size="-4" color="#000000"><br>
<br>
---------------------------------------------------------------------<span
></span>---<br>
<br>
(03-19) 15:51 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --<br>
<br>
The CIA got caught with a hand in the Internet cookie jar.<br>
<br>
The agency removed tracking software known as a &quot;cookie&quot;
from one of its Web sites this week after a private group discovered
the banned practice, said Mike Stepp, who manages the CIA's public Web
site.<br>
<br>
&quot;It was a mistake on our part. It was not intentional,&quot;
Stepp said Tuesday. &quot;The public does not need to be concerned
that the CIA is tracking them. We're a bit busy to be doing
that.&quot;<br>
<br>
Cookies are small software files often placed on computers without a
person's knowledge. The files can make Internet browsing more
convenient by letting sites distinguish user preferences, but they
have been criticized for violating privacy because they can track Web
surfing.<br>
<br>
The government issued strict rules for how federal agencies may use
cookies in 2000 after it was discovered that the White House drug
policy office had used the technology to track computer users viewing
its online anti-drug advertising. The rules ban the use of
&quot;persistent&quot; cookies, which track Web habits over years.<br>
<br>
One of those long-lasting cookies was found Thursday on a CIA site by
Daniel Brandt, president of Public Information Research, a private San
Antonio-based group that preserves publications related to
intelligence and business.<br>
<br>
Brandt said he discovered the cookie, which keeps working until 2010,
when he was looking at the Web site for the CIA's Electronic Reading
Room, which provides access to previously released agency
documents.<br>
<br>
&quot;They're not supposed to be doing this,&quot; Brandt said. He
said he was particularly concerned because the reading room site
allows users seeking documents to search for particular words.<br>
<br>
&quot;The keywords you put in reveal an incredible amount about what
you're looking for and what your interests are,&quot; Brandt said.
&quot;It would be very, very tempting to track that kind of
information.&quot;<br>
<br>
A notice on the CIA Web site states: &quot;The Central Intelligence
Agency Web site does NOT use the 'cookies' that some Web sites use to
gather and store information about your visits to their
sites.&quot;<br>
<br>
Brandt sent e-mail to the CIA with his concerns and the agency
responded on Monday, removing the cookie and some other temporary
cookies that were discovered.<br>
<br>
Stepp said an outside company had redesigned the reading room Web
site, which was posted to the Internet on Jan. 29.<br>
<br>
&quot;Unbeknownst to us, it was loaded with some software, commercial
off-the-shelf software used for Web analysis,&quot; Stepp said. The
software included a cookie that tracked repeat visitors to the
site.<br>
<br>
To make sure no improper information about site visitors had been
recorded, Stepp said two sets of log files would be destroyed.<br>
<br>
Congress issued a study last summer that found 300 cookies still on
the Web sites of 23 agencies despite the government ban.<br>
---------------------------------------------------------------------<span
></span>---<br>
On the Net:<br>
<br>
CIA Electronic Reading Room:</font><font face="Times New Roman"
size="-4" color="#000066"><u> www.foia.ucia.gov</u></font><font
face="Times New Roman" size="-4" color="#000000">/<br>
<br>
Public Information Research site on CIA cookie:</font><font
face="Times New Roman" size="-4" color="#000066"><u>
www.pir.org/ciascan.html</u></font><font face="Times New Roman"
size="-4" color="#000000"><br>
<br>
=====<br>
<br>
(Source:&nbsp;
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/03/19/<span
></span>financial1851EST0366.DTL )<br>
<br>
=====<br>
<br>
Thought for the Day:<br>
<br>
&quot;The Internet:&nbsp; An instrument of massive
instruction.&quot;<br>
<br>
(Courtesy of the Revisionist Adelaide website,
http://www.adelaideinstitute.org/ )</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman" size="-4" color="#000000"></font></div>
</body>
</html>
--============_-1195438524==_ma============--