Google takes baby step to protect your privacy
Got data? Google does. When you search the web using any search engine, you probably know that the search terms you use are archived -- possibly for an incredibly long amount of time -- and sometimes it's not as safe as you'd think. Google announced late last night that your search data will soon sit idle for a much shorter period of time, theoreticly protecting it more from the prying eyes of potential hackers, lawsuits and subpoenas. In aid of compliance with EU rules on privacy, Google's new policy will see them retain personalized search history data for 18-24 months, and as they claim, makes them the "first leading company to publish a data retention policy".
While we're not sure they're the first, it is nice to see the monolithic and often mysterious Google come forward and display a bit of transparency on a subject that's near and dear to us as avid search users. While we'd prefer that everyone's search data disappear into the ether just as quickly as it once came -- giving you the user ultimate control over your level of privacy -- this is an important step and one that rival search providers will most likely follow. Who knows, maybe we'll start a privacy war and the length of saved search history will drop to nil. Not bloody likely, eh?
