First government-sponsored blog - www.pushingback.com - needs DU beta test

CSPAN Journal segment with John P. Walters, Office of Natl. Drug Control Policy (reports to the White House) has just ended.

(The next day's CSPAN schedule is posted by 10PM at http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=320)

Mr. Walters announced that his office has created the first government-sponsored blog - www.pushingback.com



I took a look.

1. THERE IS NO PRIVACY STATEMENT. Sent them this message: Your site lacks a privacy policy. 1. Please respond with details regarding capturing of IP addresses, sites from, sites to and any other information you capture. 2. Please post policy to your site.

2. It is part of The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy - http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/

...which does have a stated privacy policy - http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/utilities/privacy.html
which has the standard WH policy page and collects the usual big brother data:

"We automatically collect and store only the following information about your visit:

The Internet domain (for example, "xcompany.com" if you use a private Internet access account, or "yourschool.edu" if you connect from a university's domain) and IP address (an IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the Web) from which you access our Web site;
The type of browser and operating system used to access our site;
The date and time you access our site;
The pages you visit; and
If you linked to the ONDCP Web site from another site, the address of that Web site.

<snip>

If you have questions about our Privacy Policy, please contact us.

Phone: 1–800–666–3332
E-mail: ondcp@ncjrs.org
Fax: 301–519–5212
Mail: P.O. Box 6000 Rockville, MD 20849-6000
Web: www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov

3. The "blog" appears to have started and has archives going back to October 2004.

4. As one would expect, it is 100% bushshit propaganda. I wonder how posts not laced with kool-aid would be handled by the moderators???? Care to try?

I do not recognize this society any more.

From: ondcp@ncjrs.org
To: (me)
Subject: Re: ONDCP Blog Comment

Dear Sir or Madame:

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has received your
inquiry and it is currently being processed. A Specialist may reply
to you, depending on the nature of your message.

Sincerely,

ONDCP

(in order to pollute the last paths that free information and truth could flow)

THAT is what this Imperial Blog is all about.

The Busheviks are going to make sure they don't make the same mistakes the Bolsheviks did.

Interested in your thoughts.

A white house office website does not have a posted privacy statement. I believe this may be in violation of statute. Can anyone confirm/ give advice where to go with this?

Here is the confirming message.

From: ondcp@ncjrs.org
To: (me)
Subject: Re: ONDCP Blog Comment


The Privacy Policy for PushingBack.Com is the same as
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/utilities/privacy.html. This
policy will be posted soon.

Thank you,

Guy Schmidt
Web Content Coordinator
ONDCP Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse
301-519-5948
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov
http://www.mediacampaign.org
http://www.pushingback.com


***************************************
Disclaimer:
The enclosed response may include referrals to non-Federal Government
resources.
The resources, and the information contained therein, are only as
reliable and complete as their originating source.
Responsibility for the quality/accuracy of the information rests with
the original source.

Is there a federal statute that requires government websites to post their privacy policy?