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Will Privacy Sell?
Posted by
Zonk
on Tue Dec 11, 2007 01:47 PM
from the one-of-the-few-things dept.
from the one-of-the-few-things dept.
DeeQ writes "Ask.com is betting that it will. The search engine is working on a service called AskEraser that will attempt to obscure the searches a user enters into the site. 'Some privacy experts doubt that concerns about privacy are significant enough to turn a feature like AskEraser into a major selling point for Ask.com. The search engine accounted for 4.7 percent of all searches conducted in the United States in October, according to comScore, which ranks Internet traffic. By comparison, Google accounted for 58.5 percent, Yahoo for 22.9 percent and Microsoft for 9.7 percent.'" We first discussed this project back in July.
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Search Sites Unveil Privacy Plans 34 comments
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Technology: Google Keeps What Ask.com Erases 59 comments
Stony Stevenson passed us an ITNews article on the AskEraser service we discussed the other day. The Ask.com service is intended to obscure a user's search data - but does it really go away? "AskEraser may remove user search query data from Ask.com's servers, but deleted data may live on, in part at least, on Google's servers. That's because Google delivers the bulk of the ads on Ask.com, based on information provided by Ask ... It may well use the information for other purposes, such as measuring the responsiveness of its systems. However, Leeds said he could not disclose the specifics of the contractual relationship between Ask and Google."
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results are more important (Score:5, Funny)
Heck, I can put up a search engine that I guarantee will not record anything you search for. Also, every result will be the "badger badger mushroom" song.
Re:results are more important (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Re:results are more important (Score:4, Informative)
Agreed. Results are paramount.
I'd rather choose my favourite search engine based on technical merit, then take steps to protect my privacy myself. It means I get the satisfaction of not having to rely on hidden propriety code on someone else's server for my privacy.
To get around the Google big-bad-data-retention, I find that Firefox [mozilla-europe.org] + CookieCuller [mozdev.org] + FoxyProxy [mozdev.org] + TOR [torproject.org] works pretty well.
Parent
Sure (Score:4, Insightful)
So whether or not the new privacy policy attracts people directly, the publicity will bring them hits for sure. Maybe even a few converts.
Dan East
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
You go ahead, I've blocked them from my entire network on account of their connection with MyWebSearch, SmileyCentral and other spyware.
The only way to make your searches private is to do it yourself. Set the option "Accept Cookies from sites: Until I close Firefox". Then, don't forget about those Flash SOL cookies that all those video ads track you with - Add:
to a batch f
Privacy Invasion Repeller for Sale! (Score:2)
I have just as much evidence that my Privacy Invasion Repeller works as Ask can produce for their so-called privacy protection, but mine covers every search engine ever made!
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
What we really need... (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Well, what I really need is a service that gives me billions of dollars for sitting on my ass, makes me irresistable to lithe young women, ends world hunger and punches Bill O'Reilley in the face every six seconds.
See? I can suggest lots of cool things if we disregard logic and common sense.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
I'd rather have a decent privacy law (Score:5, Insightful)
In a heartbeat. (Score:2)
I'll be watching this and hopefully it's going work as advertised.
Want to keep your internet activities private? (Score:3, Informative)
Not just for browsers either.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
That program isn't really relevent to what's being discussed here. Running programs in a sandbox or under a VM doesn't prevent Google storing data about you on their servers. The only relevent thing it might do is prevent persistant cookies between browsing sessions, but you're better off just blocking cookies from search engines in the first place. Sandboxing doesn't do anything to prevent Google storing your search terms tagged with
Re: (Score:2)
You have to accept cookies (Score:4, Informative)
Add yourself to Terrorit List (Score:3, Insightful)
There really is a good reason to offer an anonymous search tool. Anyone who uses it is automatically suspect. Doesn't matter what you used it for. The fact that you did use it, at all, makes you a suspect. If we can convince all of our domestic terrorists to register themselves by using this tool, we can solve the terrorism problem.
Of course, in a perfect world, the crooked politicians will also use the same tool. It would take some serious effort to separate the politicians from the regular terrorists. But, just perhaps, we could solve both problems at once.
the fact is... (Score:2)
This means to move up they have to differentiate themselves enough to get people to try them and hopefully stick with them. The only people who benefit from propagating "business as usual" are the googles/yahoos.
Simple solution: TOR (Score:3, Interesting)
Now the hard stuff is making TOR work ONLY for Google and search sites.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
No it's not. You can specify per-domain proxies with FoxyProxy, as I pointed out above [slashdot.org].
NO! And you know why? (Score:4)
Because we should get privacy FOR FREE BY DEFAULT!
cake + eating it (Score:5, Informative)
Just don't log it! (Score:2)
Of course privacy sells! (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)