The Empire Strikes Back (at Your Privacy): An Archaeology of Tracking on Government Websites
Authors: Sachin Kumar Singh (University of Utah), Faisal Mahmud (New York University Abu Dhabi), Robert Ricci (University of Utah), Sandra Siby (New York University Abu Dhabi)
Volume: 2026
Issue: 2
Pages: 108–126
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56553/popets-2026-0039
Abstract: Citizens rely on government websites for a wide array of essential services. However, these websites may embed third-party trackers, raising questions on privacy, security, and data sovereignty. We conduct a large-scale longitudinal study of tracker adoption and evolution on government websites worldwide. Our study spans 61 countries and nearly three decades (1996-2025), using historical snapshots from the Internet Archive. We find that tracking has shifted from rare to routine: by 2025, third-party trackers appear on 50% of studied government websites, with growth overwhelmingly driven by external (third-party) services. This tracking is dominated by a few large US-based organizations, with a long tail of lesser-known players. We also find great heterogeneity in tracker adoption and presence across regions, indicating that users around the world have differing exposure to privacy and security issues when accessing essential services. Our findings highlight the need for approaches to improve privacy and data sovereignty on public-service platforms.
Keywords: Government Websites, Web Tracking
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