Government Websites Have 27 Trackers Each—Your Inbox Is Next
How the same tracking techniques used by governments appear in your inbox every day.
The Hidden Trackers on Government Sites
When you visit a government website to file taxes, apply for a visa, or access public services, you probably assume your data stays with the government. The reality is far more troubling.
Research from Ghostery's WhoTracks.Me project reveals that government websites routinely deploy third party trackers that leak citizen data to external companies. In some countries, up to 90% of governmental websites add tracker cookies without any consent from users, even in nations with strict privacy laws.
This matters because government website usage is often mandatory. You cannot choose a competitor when filing your taxes or renewing your passport. Citizens are forced to surrender personal data to third party companies simply to access essential public services.
What Data Gets Exposed
The presence of trackers on government websites leaks valuable metadata about citizens to external companies. This includes:
- Browsing Behavior: Which government pages you visit and how long you spend on each.
- Personal Identifiers: Your IP address, device fingerprint, and location data.
- Service Usage Patterns: When you access tax services, healthcare portals, or immigration systems.
- Cross Site Tracking: Third party cookies that follow you across the web, building comprehensive profiles.
According to Help Net Security, researchers found that non session cookies lasting days or months are widely present on government sites. This persistent tracking occurs even in countries with strict user privacy laws.
The Parallel to Email Tracking
The tracking techniques used on government websites mirror what happens in your inbox every day. Just as government sites embed third party trackers, marketing emails contain spy pixels and click tracking links that monitor your behavior.
Email tracking works similarly:
- Spy Pixels: Invisible images that report when you open an email, your location, and device information.
- Click Tracking: Modified links that log every click before redirecting you to the destination.
- Third Party Data Sharing: Your engagement data flows to marketing platforms and data brokers.
Research shows that 79% of consumers are concerned about how companies use data collected via cookies and trackers. Yet most people remain unaware of how pervasive this surveillance has become, whether on government websites or in their email inbox.
Some Governments Do Better
Not all governments expose their citizens to third party tracking. Germany, for example, stands out as a privacy conscious exception. German government websites like bundestag.de use self hosted analytics solutions such as Matomo instead of third party trackers.
This approach proves that governments can provide digital services without compromising citizen privacy. The choice to deploy third party trackers is exactly that: a choice. Citizens deserve the same consideration in their digital communications.
Protecting Your Email Privacy
While you may have limited control over government website tracking, you can take immediate action to protect your inbox. Gblock provides comprehensive protection against email surveillance:
- Spy Pixel Blocking: Automatically detects and neutralizes invisible tracking pixels before they can report your activity.
- Click Tracking Protection: Strips tracking parameters from links and routes clicks through a privacy proxy.
- IP Address Masking: Prevents senders from logging your location when you interact with emails.
The question posed by privacy researchers applies equally to email: should we accept companies exposing users to tracking risks without consent? With 86% of US citizens saying data privacy is a growing concern, the answer is increasingly clear.
Take Back Your Privacy
Government website tracking highlights a broader truth about digital privacy: surveillance is everywhere, often invisible, and rarely consensual. The same tracking infrastructure that monitors your interactions with public services operates in your inbox.
Unlike government websites where you have no choice, email privacy is something you can control. Every email you open, every link you click, every pixel that loads, these are all opportunities for surveillance that you can block.
Protect your inbox from invisible trackers. Take control of your email privacy with Gblock.