In a bid to offset privacy concerns and improve its privacy protection ratings, Search behemoth Google has agreed to cut down retention of user web search histories to 18 months from 24. This move apparently would mean that search information would be made anonymous after a year and a half.
Whenever you use Google for search, you leave lasting fingerprints that can help the Search Engine prepare a dossier on your tastes and interests, akin to a virtual profile of your existence. Though Google professes to keep this information protected, European online Privacy advocates have beamoned the lack of clear initiative from Google to really handle their fears. The Article 29 working party handling European Union privacy policy initiatives had very recently sent a memo to Google regarding the fact that user search history information has been kept for too long. The latest announcement by Google is aimed to placate these concerns.
Google’s takeover of online ad firm DoubleClick raised a few ruckus along the way. Very recently, there was a lot of serious concerns about Google Maps ‘Street View’ that it is a direct violation of people’s need for anonymity. The biggest fear is the possibility that security vulnerabilities might result in information falling in the wrong hands. What does Google’s privacy policy has to say? Tim O’Reilly has lots more to say on Google and Privacy stakes.