Search Sites Unveil Privacy Plans 34
Klaidas sends us word of BBC coverage of action on privacy by the top four search sites. Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Ask have introduced plans to reduce the data they store and how long they store it. From the article: "The rush to improve privacy policies was started by Google in March when it announced it would start deleting the final parts of the individual address it collects from each user's computer after 18 months... Microsoft is expected to make a similar announcement to separate the identifying address and other data from searches after 18 months. The information will be held for longer if users request it. Yahoo said it would delete identifying addresses and cookies after 13 months... Ask is taking the most radical step by unveiling plans for a tool called AskEraser which, it claims, will let people tune whether data is gathered about them on a search-by-search basis."
Wasn't it the EU? (Score:5, Insightful)
I certainly hope the AskEraser turns out to be solid as I would switch for good, but I'm prepared to be disappointed.
Re:Wasn't it the EU? (Score:5, Interesting)
They're really going to throw away your search information, not just 'anonymize' it.
Everyone else is hedging their bet with weasel words like "legally compelled to do so." Which means the government can wave some legal papers around and your data is retained indefinitely.
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No paper waving required... Wording and default settings are all that is needed to confuse most users.
Wording example: Would you like your search results optimized to your preferences = you agreed to let us have the data forever.
Default example: Any user can choose not to request their data be stored by clicking a box on a settings screen indicating that they are NOT requesting the search company to store t
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U
Another layer of security? (Score:1)
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OK - that's the front end (Score:1, Troll)
Whom do you trust more - or less for that matter:
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As much as people like to say "OMG Google is killing my privacy!" they're the only ones who have shown that they won't bend over for someone who wants your information.
Poppycock (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Poppycock (Score:4, Funny)
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New "privacy" policy (Score:3, Funny)
2) You won't get any now
3) You'll never know if we keep your stuff or not
4) Just try and prove anything
5) You're a sucker if you believe we actually abide by some silly "privacy" policy
6) Hahahahaha...
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logs about deleting logs about... (Score:4, Insightful)
Ask is taking the most radical step by unveiling plans for a tool called AskEraser which, it claims, will let people tune whether data is gathered about them on a search-by-search basis."
AHA! But what happens to the logs from the AskEraser tool?
*runs for cover*
(Psst. Serious side note: with AT&T and others happily giving the NSA and others big fat listening tubes, who cares...about the end points? Besides, a 6 month retention policy gives Google plenty of time to do all sorts of analysis. They probably don't need *any* bits of your IP after a few days...)
This is great. (Score:2)
Already Dropped Google (Score:2)
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