Andrew Shen, a policy analyst with the Electronic Privacy Information Center , said the public won't continue to use government Web sites if information on them is collected. Internet analysts say sophisticated tracking programs, like cookies, aren't needed on government Web sites. The Postal Service uses cookie programs to help people calculate the costs of stamps they are buying online at Internet Web sites. But the agency's privacy statement states that it's possible for consumers to buy stamps without using cookies, although that makes the transaction more complicated. Agency spokesmen were at a conference Friday and could not be reached for further comment.
Privacy policies vary widely in the government.
The FBI says it collects the Internet addresses of people who visit its Web site each year - all 35 million of them. The Labor Department says it also records the identities of visitors to its sites. Privacy advocates urged Congress to hold hearings on government tracking policies. House Republican leader Dick Armey of Texas earlier this month asked the congressional General Accounting Office to conduct a survey of privacy policies in the government.