PCWORLD wrote about this video:

The video is clear and accurate, but it’s of course meant to make Google look good, so take it with a grain of salt. The engineer giving the presentation downplays what it means to tie searches together with an IP address and (more importantly) a unique ID, but the New York Times made it clear how that alone can be enough to track people down last year when AOL released detailed search records.

Post from: EveryJoe

Google Teaches Online Privacy

• What search-related data–including IP addresses, cookie IDs, user identities, and search terms–do you retain?
• How long do you retain those data?
• If you retain data for a limited period of time, is it completely deleted (in such a way that the data and backups cannot be recovered, even under court order) or is it anonymized instead?
• If the data are anonymized, exactly how do you do this?
• Do you do behavioral targeting, meaning showing ads to users based on their behavior across multiple queries?
• If you do, is there a way for users to opt out of behavioral targeting?
• Do you use knowledge about your users (such as ZIP code, e-mail address, gender, or birth date) obtained through user registration to deliver targeted ads on your search engine?
• Do you use knowledge about the identities of your users’ instant messaging or e-mail correspondents when using those services, or the contents of those communications, to deliver targeted ads on your search engine?

Interesting stuff…

Post from: EveryJoe

Engines Comment on their Own Privacy

This new mentioned policy is to be implemented “by the end of the year” and with no specific date mentioned.

[via WIRED]

Post from: EveryJoe

Yahoo “One Ups” Google in Response Privacy Concerns

Privacy issues became public concern with Google’s planned acquisition of DoubleClick and the criticism followed it from the EU and the idea behind this new initiative is to create a single standard for search engines and online advertising to replace the current hodgepodge of privacy policies.

The success of this initiative depends at large on the cooperation seen from Yahoo (doesn’t plan on participating) and Google (doesn’t plan on commenting), but I am sure that if such a standard is formed, market forces would enforce the two to adapt accordingly.

[via SFGate]

Post from: EveryJoe

ASK & MSN Join Forces in Embracing Privacy

The new tool, called AskEraser will offer users complete control over their privacy when searching for information: With AskEraser, people can ensure that their search history will not be retained by Ask.com. Searchers will have easy access to AskEraser and can change their privacy preference at any time. Once selected, searchers’ privacy settings will be clearly indicated on search results pages so they always know the privacy status of their searches.

ASK’s notion that anonymous user data is as good as non-anonymous one is great and, in my opinion, correct. The only reason a company would like to connect a person with its searches over time is for reasons beyond their needs such as profiling other “scary” uses. I think that this announcement on ASK’s behalf is a real breakthrough and I hope that others will choose to add such feature.

Post from: EveryJoe

ASK to Launch an Anonymous Search Tool

From the official announcement:

In the coming months, Google will start issuing our users cookies that will be set to auto-expire after 2 years, while auto-renewing the cookies of active users during this time period. In other words, users who do not return to Google will have their cookies auto-expire after 2 years. Regular Google users will have their cookies auto-renew, so that their preferences are not lost. And, as always, all users will still be able to control their cookies at any time via their browsers.

What they say is that only if you will not visit Google for 2 years, your cookie will die within 2 years, but as long as you keep using it, Google’s cookie will never die and auto-renew to 2 years each time. So, we didn’t really get anything eh?

Post from: EveryJoe

Google Shortens Cookie Lifespan

A week later, however, it appears as if Google had made some moves this week to improve some of the issues that were addresses in the report:

* Lower data retention period – While initially storing all information for 24 months Google announced this week that it will lower its data retention period to 18 months. After 18 months the data will be anonymized.

* Consider reducing cookie expiration time – Google’s tracking cookies are currently set for an infinite period of time. No new period has been set (yet).

Post from: EveryJoe

Google Responds to Accusations of Privacy Issues

In last week’s SMX show Matt Cutts commented on the issue offering a quick fix, the addition of the variable &pws=0 to the search query. So this way a query for search engines which was once skewed is now no longer…

[via SEOBOOK]

Post from: EveryJoe

Disabling Google’s Personalized Search Without Logging-Out

The study lists the following sample of “issues” found with Google’s policies:

* Google account holders that regularly use even a few of Google’s services must accept that the company retains a large quantity of information about that user, often for an unstated or indefinite length of time, without clear limitation on subsequent use or disclosure, and without an opportunity to delete or withdraw personal data even if the user wishes to terminate the service.

* Google maintains records of all search strings and the associated IP-addresses and time stamps for at least 18 to 24 months and does not provide users with an expungement option. While it is true that many US based companies have not yet established a time frame for retention, there is a prevailing view amongst privacy experts that 18 to 24 months is unacceptable, and possibly unlawful in many parts of the world.

* Google has access to additional personal information, including hobbies, employment, address, and phone number, contained within user profiles in Orkut. Google often maintains these records even after a user has deleted his profile or removed information from Orkut.

* Google collects all search results entered through Google Toolbar and identifies all Google Toolbar users with a unique cookie that allows Google to track the user’s web movement.17 Google does not indicate how long the information collected through Google Toolbar is retained, nor does it offer users a data expungement option in connection with the service.

* Google fails to follow generally accepted privacy practices such as the OECD Privacy Guidelines and elements of EU data protection law. As detailed in the EPIC complaint, Google also fails to adopted additional privacy provisions with respect to specific Google services.

* Google logs search queries in a manner that makes them personally identifiable but fails to provide users with the ability to edit or otherwise expunge records of their previous searches.

* Google fails to give users access to log information generated through their interaction with Google Maps, Google Video, Google Talk, Google Reader, Blogger and other services.

In summery, as Google grows and keeps diversifying its products along with the suggested acquisition of DoubleClick, Google will get a better hold on all that we do online. As long as it is used solely towards ad-customization it is fine, but the retainment of such information presents first a risk and second a question as to their real agenda behind it.

UPDATE: Google’s Matt Cutts had issued a response to the different accusations this morning.

[via EveryJoe