GSA tells agencies: Boost privacy measures on Web sites
Connecting state and local government leaders
GSA recommends privacy guidelines Stay up-to-date on Web technology changes and their effect on privacy. Notify the public whenever you are collecting data on the Internet. Use information only for the sole purpose for which it was gathered and as was disclosed in the privacy notice. Protect privacy in all forms of data, including text, graphics, sound and video. Balance Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act requirements.
GSA recommends privacy guidelines The General Services Administration is pushing for more privacy protection Privacy concerns at federal Web sites will continue to grow as Web technology is Privacy is a critical issue to the development of federal Web sites and an The document, posted on the Web at http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov/mke/fedwebm/privacy.htm, The GSA document contends that privacy needs to be a common thread throughout The Privacy Act of 1974, which GSA is using to frame its policy, focuses on program Large-scale electronic commerce in government makes the protection of account numbers, Many agencies use the Federal Trade Commissions privacy statement as a policy Balancing privacy laws with Freedom of Information Act requests is also difficult, he Carlynn Thompson, director of research, development and acquisition support for the Weve taken the stand that we will not release Web logs to anyone, The only exception would be in response to court orders or law-enforcement efforts to Defenses home site, at http://www.defenselink.mil, The site informs users that DOD collects some information for statistical purposes. The site identifies the host name or Internet protocol address of the visitor, the date DOD also notifies users that its sites use security software that monitors traffic to The Office of Management and Budget has also been writing a Web policy. Agencies must collect from the public only the information necessary for the
Stay up-to-date on Web technology changes and their effect on
privacy.
Notify the public whenever you are collecting data on the Internet.
Use information only for the sole purpose for which it was gathered
and as was disclosed in the privacy notice.
Protect privacy in all forms of data, including text, graphics, sound
and video.
Balance Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act requirements.
on agency Web sites, according to a memo released last month.
utilized increasingly by the federal agencies for the management of information, in
conducting electronic transactions, in communications and other areas, said Joan C.
Steyaert, deputy associate administrator of GSAs Office of Information Technology in
the memo.
underlying principle necessary for promoting electronic business with the public,
Steyaert said.
recommends agencies do three things:
government, said Richard N. Kellett, director of GSAs Emerging IT Policies
Division.
data, Kellett said.
personal identification numbers and other transaction data of paramount importance,
Kellett said.
model, Kellett said.
said.
Defense Technical Information Center, said Defense Department has even received FOIA
requests for the departments Web logs.
Thompson said. We do not want to risk revealing preference-type information.
track down hackers, she said.
explains the departments privacy policy to all visitors. We tell the end user
what we collect and how that information might be used, Thompson said.
and time the person logged on to the site, the site viewed and the size of that site, the
browser the person is using and the last site the person visited.
identify unauthorized attempts to change information or damage the site.
performance of official functions and must notify users when information is
collected, a draft of the OMB document said.
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