19.1 Data tracking able to be disabled
The New Zealand Web Standards 2.0 were released in March 2009 and replace the previous version, the New Zealand Government Web Standards 1.0 (below). See Meeting the standards for more information.
The Standard
19.1 A web site must provide the option for a user to disable the collection of tracking data at any time during their visit.
Note that this excludes:
- When the tracking data is used solely for maintaining session state of the web site
- Web site activity recorded in web server log(s), where the web site owner uses this data for anonymous statistical purposes.
Guide to this standard
This standard is in the context of the definition of Tracking Data in the Glossary of Key Concepts.
Agencies should not hold unnecessary information about individuals, and are requested to be transparent about the information they are holding/recording about individuals.
Web site owners should consider this standard when looking at methods available for tracking user activity on a web site.
Rationale for this standard
Data persisted on the device on which the user is hosting their browser (e.g. client machine) is in many cases not a secure medium. It is important not to compromise the privacy of personal identity, if such information is being stored on a client side medium.
Web site users express high levels of concern about the collection of information about their activities on the Internet (see the Office of the Privacy Commissioner's Privacy Survey 2006). This standard limits the purpose and use of this data, and can protect the privacy of the individual user.
