One of the hottest debates in the digital world has to do with privacy concerns and a new report is proving how Government websites aren’t the ideal place to be if you’re avoiding tracking.
On average, the report’s findings showed how more than 50% of government-owned websites were filled with tracking cookies and those that arise under the GDPR’s wing are definitely no exception.
The news comes to us from a study conducted by IMDEA which is a leading research center based in Spain. It proved how nearly 5,500 state-owned sites that arose from various G20 nations had a common finding.
Moreover, it was even more alarming to learn that around 90% of the visitors who were able to gain entry to the sites had been given permission to be tracked through these cookies. And with a staggering 50% of them having links with third-party cookies, it can’t get any worse than this.
This just goes to show how the cookies had been put there for a sole person. And in case you haven’t been able to guess by now, it’s related to harvesting data belonging to visitors on the site. And more than 90% arose from some of the most well renowned third-party tracking agencies.
So what does IMDEA have to say about this bold behavior? Well, no sites should be allowed to serve visitors cookies, to begin with. Moreover, they need the consent of users, before doing so.
It added how such practices were doing great in terms of ruining the trust of so many citizens that they’ve had in their country’s government. At the same time, we’re seeing large-scale surveillance take center stage. This comes with an additional headache of being monitored and tracked.
The fact that the practice is happening via third parties is just beyond appalling as that proves how poor the website design was, to begin with. This is in regards to how it receives support from external bodies whose main goal is to scan interactions taking place between common members of the public and the government.
Another important point worth considering is how so many practices have been sought like GDPR for better protection by the government. But if they’re the ones who are engaging in such tracking behavior, how can they even think about holding others accountable.
The actual source for the cookies was outlined to be multimedia content that arose through various social platforms and those areas embedded within the website.
Russia was the worse of the lot while both Japan and India scored the lowest.
Read next: Study Shows Traditional Protection Tools Have 60% Failure Rate Against Ransomware
On average, the report’s findings showed how more than 50% of government-owned websites were filled with tracking cookies and those that arise under the GDPR’s wing are definitely no exception.
The news comes to us from a study conducted by IMDEA which is a leading research center based in Spain. It proved how nearly 5,500 state-owned sites that arose from various G20 nations had a common finding.
Moreover, it was even more alarming to learn that around 90% of the visitors who were able to gain entry to the sites had been given permission to be tracked through these cookies. And with a staggering 50% of them having links with third-party cookies, it can’t get any worse than this.
This just goes to show how the cookies had been put there for a sole person. And in case you haven’t been able to guess by now, it’s related to harvesting data belonging to visitors on the site. And more than 90% arose from some of the most well renowned third-party tracking agencies.
So what does IMDEA have to say about this bold behavior? Well, no sites should be allowed to serve visitors cookies, to begin with. Moreover, they need the consent of users, before doing so.
It added how such practices were doing great in terms of ruining the trust of so many citizens that they’ve had in their country’s government. At the same time, we’re seeing large-scale surveillance take center stage. This comes with an additional headache of being monitored and tracked.
The fact that the practice is happening via third parties is just beyond appalling as that proves how poor the website design was, to begin with. This is in regards to how it receives support from external bodies whose main goal is to scan interactions taking place between common members of the public and the government.
Another important point worth considering is how so many practices have been sought like GDPR for better protection by the government. But if they’re the ones who are engaging in such tracking behavior, how can they even think about holding others accountable.
The actual source for the cookies was outlined to be multimedia content that arose through various social platforms and those areas embedded within the website.
Russia was the worse of the lot while both Japan and India scored the lowest.
Read next: Study Shows Traditional Protection Tools Have 60% Failure Rate Against Ransomware
