Define "compelling"

But there must be some mistake . . . I thought the evil reign of Cheney was over?

The Obama administration is proposing to scale back a long-standing ban on tracking how people use government Internet sites with "cookies" and other technologies, raising alarms among privacy groups.

A two-week public comment period ended Monday on a proposal by the White House Office of Management and Budget to end a ban on federal Internet sites using such technologies and replace it with other privacy safeguards. The current prohibition, in place since 2000, can be waived if an agency head cites a "compelling need."

[. . .]

Some privacy groups say the proposal amounts to a "massive" and unexplained shift in government policy. In a statement Monday, American Civil Liberties Union spokesman Michael Macleod-Ball said the move could "allow the mass collection of personal information of every user of a federal government website."

But don't worry your pretty little head about it; it's for your own good:

Obama's aides say those services can make government more transparent and increase public involvement.

Cue laughtrack. What contempt they must have for us.

The ACLU doesn't like it. And something fishy is going on with Google:

Even groups that support updating the policy question whether the administration is seeking changes at the request of private companies, such as online search giant Google, as the industry's economic clout and influence in Washington have grown rapidly.

Big Brother needs Google to help him implement all that hope & change. It's all for the best, comrade.

h/t: The Patriot Room

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