The website shares some personal data about consumers with companies that sell advertising and data analytics services, the Associated Press reported.
Administration officials said the companies are allowed to access the information in order to improve the website’s performance and its ability to display content appropriate to the visitor’s needs. The companies are not allowed to use the data for other purposes and there is no evidence that personal information has been misused, they said.
In tests it conducted, the AP found that the website sends the outside firms such personal information as age, income and smoking habits. However, a user’s name, social security number or birth date were not transmitted.
Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa)sent a letter to the administration saying, "This new information is extremely concerning not only because it violates the privacy of millions of Americans, but because it may potentially compromise their security.”
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which studies digital privacy issues, independently confirmed that sends some personal information to at least 14 third parties, even if the user has enabled “do not track” privacy settings in his or her browser.
Companies receiving the information include Google, Doubleclick, Twitter, Yahoo, Youtube and Akamai, the EFF found. It noted that some companies, such as Google, are able to match such data with an ’s name. “If a real identity is linked to the information received from it would be a massive violation privacy for users the site,” the EFF said.