Obama team’s Google cookie fix
p2pnet news view | P2P | Politics:- Two Reader’s Writes point out the EFF’s Hugh D’Andrade has a post in Deep Links slugged, Obama’s Quick Response to Privacy Concerns.
In it, “The incoming Obama administration has impressed advocates of open government, first by making a clear commitment to answer FOIA requests with a presumption of openness, and now by responding quickly – within 24 hours! – to criticism from CNET blogger Chris Soghoian and others that the retooled WhiteHouse.gov is placing cookies on user computers via YouTube videos embedded on the site,”" he says.
CNet post said Obama’s new administration had, “quietly exempted YouTube from strict rules relating to the use of cookies on federal agency Web sites,” continuing »»»
The new White House Web site privacy policy promises that the site will not use long-term tracking cookies, complying with a decade-old rule prohibiting such user tracking by federal agencies.
However, the privacy policy then reveals that Obama`s legal team has exempted YouTube from this rule (YouTube videos are embedded at various places around the White House Web site).
While the White House might not be tracking visitors, the Google-owned video sharing site is free to use persistent cookies to track the browsing behavior of millions of visitors to Obama`s home in cyberspace.
No other company had been, singled out and rewarded with such a waiver.
D’Andrade says the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) last year stressed YouTube videos, “can place a cookie on the user’s computer the moment the user visits a page with embedded video,” going on:
“This means that even before the user chooses to click the play button they have had their IP address shared with a third party. EFF developed a script, MyTube, that plugs this hole by using javascript to prevent the user’s client from connecting with a third-party video-host until the visitor explicitly opts-in by clicking on the play button.”
But, “The day after Soghoian’s article appeared, WhiteHouse.gov appears to have addressed the cookie problem by adopting a MyTube-like fix of their own.”
After praising the Obama team for their “responsiveness and their willingness to immediately implement solutions,” it’s, “worth noting, however, that users who do choose to view YouTube videos on WhiteHouse.gov will still receive a cookie unless they have specifically configured their browsers to reject cookies,” says the article, adding:
“And this may be trickier than some might think, since YouTube videos also use Flash cookies, which take special effort to delete.”
‘Starting their own YouTube channels’
IMHO, Until organisations whose interests are vested and purely corporate, are clearly and publicly disconnected from any and all means of influencing policy and decisions, moves such as this amount to very little.
Yesterday, “The writing is on the wall,” p2pnet posted, referring to a 2007 story, and going on that Google had launched the Google Public Policy blog run by Andrew McLaughlin, whom it labelled Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs.
“We’re seeking to do public policy advocacy in a Googley way,” said McLaughlin.
A ‘Googley’ way?
Not at all incidentally,”As the 111th Congress kicks into gear, many Members of Congress are starting their own YouTube channels,” its public policy blog currently boasts.
YouTube is, of course, owned by Google.
“They’re posting videos direct from their Washington offices, as well as clips of floor speeches and committee hearings alongside additional behind-the-scenes footage from Capitol Hill,” it says, adding:
“And in conjunction with both the House and Senate, today we’re launching two new platforms that will help you access your Senator and Representatives’ YouTube channels: The Senate Hub (youtube.com/senatehub) and The House Hub (youtube.com/househub).”
Jon Newton – p2pnet
January , 2009
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