I know we all do semi-anonymous logging (server logs, Google Analytics, etc.). However, on one of our external web applications, we have some non-reproducible errors that the external users report occasionally. I chalk most of them up to a PEBKAC errors, but I always investigate the problem to see if I have the same problem.While talking to the internal user that manages it, she mentioned that it is too bad that we can't figure out what browser the person is using without having to call them. I told her that actually we can, but normally it is anonymous data that isn't directly linked to a user.I am curious, is this practice frowned upon? Actually tracking what browser an identified user is using to fill out our forms and log that information with their data. Nothing more than what is logged normally, just linked to a user.Thoughts?Updated: I thought I could get by without more details about the application and why. This is for a job application... application. I am trying to track down some bugs. We hate to always call the user back and ask what browser they were using and how they got the error. If I link their browser information to their name as they fill out the form it removes one piece of the puzzle and I may be able to track down some of the browser-based errors. The real question is if this is against best practices and/or the law.
Is logging personally identifiable information a bad practice or violation of law?
logging;privacy
As long as your privacy policy properly disclose what you track, and you don't misuse the information, there shouldn't be any problem.