Group pans federal Web sites' privacy policies

Federal agencies need to prominently post privacy policies on their Web sites, an independent watchdog group says in a new report.

The Center for Democracy and Technology, a Washington-based online privacy advocacy group, found that only one-third of federal agencies have privacy policy notices on their sites.

"With Americans' traditional concerns with government surveillance and use of personal information, federal agencies need to be particularly vigilant in addressing privacy issues," the group said in a letter to Peter Swire, the Clinton administration's chief counselor for privacy. "Providing clear and concise notice about information practices is critical."

Swire, an Ohio State University professor, became the federal government's first privacy czar last month. He is working out of the Office of Management and Budget's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

Privacy policy notices should describe how agencies track and store information about visitors to their Web sites, the group says. In addition, if citizens provide information to agencies voluntarily via online forms or by e-mail, agencies should explain what happens to that information.

The group could not find privacy notices on 22 agencies' Web sites, and had to search for notices on eight sites. Sixteen agencies had easy-to-find privacy policies, the group said.

The group recommended that OMB instruct agencies to post privacy policies on their Web sites and prominently link up to them from their home pages. OMB should threaten to cuts agencies' information technology budgets if they fail to comply with the order within 30 days, the group suggested.

In a May 1998 memorandum, President Clinton urged agencies to appoint senior privacy officials and review their procedures for ensuring privacy protection on the Internet and elsewhere.

An Office of Management and Budget spokeswoman said Friday that OMB had no comment on the report.

Privacy Policy Notices on Federal Web sites