FC: More on CDC requiring cookies to search its website

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[Also noted by Ian Hopper and others, who cited: 
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/cookies_letter72800.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/cookies_letter90500.html
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d01424.pdf
--Declan]

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Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 12:08:11 -0400
From: Robert Gellman <rgellman () cais com>
To: declan () well com
Subject: Re: FC: CDC.gov requires cookies, apparently in violation of WH order

Two quick points.  First, setting cookies does not violate the OMB
policy if they are session cookies.  Plain vanilla session cookies
strike me as pretty far down on the list of things to worry about.
Second, Twila objects to the need to identify yourself to use the
website. Fair enough, but cookies are not necessarily identifiable.

This story needs more facts before sounding an alarm.

Bob

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From: admin () consumer net (admin)
To: <declan () well com>, <politech () politechbot com>
Cc: <twila () cchc-mn org>, <smg0 () cdc gov>, <zxd2 () cdc gov>
Subject: RE: CDC.gov requires cookies, apparently in violation of WH order
Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 12:07:23 -0400
In-Reply-To: <5.0.2.1.0.20011023093327.02145160 () mail well com>

The orders put out by federal agencies as a result of the memo do not ban
all cookies.  It bans such things as tracking of individuals without telling
them (such as using persistent cookies and tracking return visits).  Session
cookies may be used for functional reasons which are clearly nor "personal
identification."  in this case it is simply a session cookies that keeps
track of your search so you can go from page 1 to page 2 of your search or
perform subsearches for searches already completed.  It is possible to make
the site work without cookies but it would take some programming and would
probably be a waste of time and money.

The only problem with the CDC site is that they don't have a link to the
privacy policy on the search page which should explain the use of cookies.

Russ Smith
http://consumer.net

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