Google is clearly on the defensive when it comes to privacy matters. Not only are U.S. public interest groups lobbying to block Google’s acquisition of ad giant DoubleClick until the search leader implements some privacy guarantees, but also Privacy International just released a blistering report that accuses Google of having an “attitude to privacy…that at its most blatant is hostile.”
One of Google’s milder detractors, the European Union, recently complained about Google’s privacy practices through its Article 29 Working Party. This complaint followed Google’s announcement that it would “anonymize” search records after 18 to 24 months, meaning that beyond that time period, users’ search records wouldn’t be traceable back to identifiable individuals.
The Working Party thought that interval is too long to protect privacy. After mulling it over (and in the interim getting beat up even more on privacy matters), Google announced this morning that it will shorten the search log retention window to 18 months, tops.
Google articulates a number of reasons why it has to keep user search logs in the first place, including the enhanced ability to improve search algorithms, protection of their systems from outside attacks and responding to subpoenas from law enforcement officials who are hunting for child molesters. Google thinks it can meet these “security, innovation and legal” objectives with non-anonymized search logs that last only 18 months, instead of the full two years.
One other issue raised by the Working Party is the fact that Google’s cookies, which track a web user’s movements, last 30 years. Privacy International also attacked Google’s retention of cookie data as it relates to the Google toolbar, criticizing the search giant for not giving users the opportunity to expunge this data from its records.
Google, however, will “explore ways to redesign cookies and to reduce their expiration without artificially forcing users to re-enter basic preferences such as language preference.” Look for a new policy regarding cookie privacy soon.
Cynthia Brumfield at 10:40 AM|Comments(0)
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