White House to investigate contractor's Web tracking

NEW YORK -- Without the Bush administration knowing, an outside contractor has been using Internet tracking technologies that may be prohibited to analyze usage and traffic patterns at the White House's website, an official said yesterday.

David Almacy, the White House's Internet director, promised an investigation into whether the practice is consistent with a 2003 policy from the White House's Office of Management and Budget banning the use of most such technologies at government sites. ''No one even knew it was happening," Almacy said. ''We're going to work with the contractor to ensure that it's consistent with the OMB policy."

The acknowledgment came a day after the National Security Agency admitted it had erred in using banned ''cookies" at its website. Both acknowledgments followed inquiries by the Associated Press.

The White House's website uses what is known as a Web bug to anonymously keep track of who is visiting and when. A Web bug is essentially a graphic image that is virtually invisible. In this case, the bug is pulled from a server maintained by the contractor, WebTrends Inc., and lets the traffic analytic company know that another person has visited a specific page on the site.

Web bugs themselves are not prohibited. But when these bugs are linked to a data file known as a ''cookie" so that a site can tell whether the same person has visited again, a federal agency using them must demonstrate a ''compelling need," get a senior official's approval, and disclose such usage, said Peter Swire, a Clinton administration official who helped draft the original rules.

The White House's privacy policy does not specially mention cookies or Web bugs, and Almacy said approval was never sought because it was not thought to be required. He said his team was first informed of the cookie use by the AP. In any case, Almacy said, no personal information was collected, and the cookie was used only to determine whether a visitor was a new or returning user.

In a statement, WebTrends said the analysis performed at the White House site is typical among organizations for improving user experience.

But Swire said a similar use of cookies had prompted the federal guidelines.