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 26.6.2000 Security: New Directives to Protect Net Privacy
The Clinton administration issued strict new rules regulating federal use of the Internet technology, which can surreptitiously collect personal information.

En français: Nouvelles Directives pour la Protection de la Sphère Privée
L'administrion Clinton a établi des nouvelles règles qui régulent l'utilisation de la technologie Internet, qui peut recolleter de l'information personnelle.

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English version
The Office of Management and Budget on Thursday directed all agencies to review immediately their compliance with existing Web privacy policies. Additionally, agencies will have to submit descriptions of how they handle Internet privacy issues with their budget requests this fall.

The memo from White House budget chief Jack Lew also expanded the rules concerning ``cookies,'' small software files often placed on computers without a person's knowledge that can track their movement on the Web. The Office of National Drug Control Policy had been using these files through advertising sold by an Internet ad company.

With a few exceptions, Lew said, '``Cookies' should not be used at federal Web sites, or by contractors when operating Web sites on behalf of agencies.''

Federal agencies will have to demonstrate a ``compelling need'' to gather the data, publicly disclose how any collected personal information would be safeguarded and get the authorization of the agency head. For example, using a cookie on a State Department Web site would require the approval of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Résumé en français
Dans le cadre de sa politique anti-drogue le gouvernement americain  surveillait les utilisateurs d'Internet. En utilisant des "cookies", qui sont des éléments d'information placés par un serveur web dans vos naviguateurs, bien souvent à l'insu de l'utilisateur. Ce qui permet de suivre l'activité d'un utilisateur  sur le web.

Cette pratique s'est étendue au travers d'une campagne de publicité confiée à une société spécialisée pour la publicité sur Internet. 

Divers sites web diffusaient ces bannières. Sur certains moteurs de recherche, si vous avez des bannières publicitaires, concernant une campagne anti-drogue cela signifie que vous avez cherché un mot clé en rapport avec la drogue et le site vous aura placé son "cookie".

Les sites gouvenementaux americains ne peuvent plus utiliser cette pratique sans la justifier, selon des nouvelles directives. Ces directives s'étendent égallement aux entreprises qui travaillent pour le gouvernement.

lire aussi: Les sites web envoient vos  données aux publicitaires

Following the White House's order Wednesday to cease using the software, the drug policy office told its contractors to stop using the cookies as soon as possible, said Don Maple, who helps run the office's anti-drug advertising campaign.

``The government should not be in the business of cybersnooping,'' he said. ``These sites ought to be an essential link for citizens who want to become more involved in our government.''

Various Web sites displayed the anti-drug ads, which also appeared on Internet search engines when users typed in key words related to drugs. Users clicking on the ads were taken to a drug policy office site called ``Freevibe,'' which targeted young people. Upon entering the site, a cookie was placed on users' computers.

The tracking totaled the number of people clicking on ads, which ads they clicked on and what pages they viewed on the Freevibe site, Maple said. This type of monitoring is used to assess the effectiveness of the advertising.

For the campaign, reported by Scripps Howard News Service this week, the drug office used the firm Ogilvy & Mather, which in turn contracted with DoubleClick, the nation's largest Internet ad agency.

the drug policy office told its contractors to stop using the cookies as soon as possible, said Don Maple, who helps run the office's anti-drug advertising campaign.

he new White House directives explicitly pointed out that the administration's privacy policies include all contractors operating Web sites on behalf of the government.

Doubleclick said they didn't know if other government agencies had contracted their company for similar advertising services.

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Revised: juin 26, 2000 .

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