Re: [privacy] Microsoft curtails how long it stores Web searches

[Shyaam <shyaam () gmail com>]

This is my speculation:

Its not for survey, it is just to show better results next time when you
search using some kind of permutations where they find out what exactly do
you want. For example, you search for few keywords and you search for
something relative and you dont find anything still, and you are using some
other key words to determine if there is something atleast in those sets of
keywords, then they can use all such combinations in finding what exactly
you are trying to search for to provide better results.

I am sure there is a lot more privacy that we loose beyond the search
results :-)

Shyaam

On 7/22/07, rms () computerbytesman com <rms () computerbytesman com> wrote:
>  Hmm, what am I missing here?  Why store search histories which are tied
> to an IP address or a cookie value at all?
>
> Richard
>
>
>
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070723/tc_nm/privacy_microsoft_dc_1;_ylt=AsimFrFhpdw3_Fx3ZUZGICYE1vAI
>
> By Eric Auchard 2 hours, 12 minutes ago
>
> SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. 
> (Nasdaq:MSFT<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/finance/nm/tc_nm/storytext/privacy_microsoft_dc/23837503/*http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=msft&d=t>-
> news<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/biz/nm/tc_nm/storytext/privacy_microsoft_dc/23837503/*http://biz.yahoo.com/n/m/msft.html>)
> said on Sunday the software maker was taking new steps to protect consumer
> privacy in the areas of Web search and online advertising and called on the
> Internet industry to support it.
>  Microsoft said it was responding to public concern over the recent
> consolidation of the online ad industry as well as stepped-up interest from
> government regulators in its call for a comprehensive rather than piecemeal
> approach to privacy.
>
> "We think it's time for an industrywide dialogue," Peter Cullen,
> Microsoft's chief privacy officer, said in an interview. "The current
> patchwork of protections and how companies explain them is really confusing
> to consumers."
>
> Specifically, Microsoft said it would make all Web search query data
> anonymous after 18 months on its "Live Search" service, unless it receives
> user consent to store it longer. The policy changes are retroactive and
> worldwide, it said.
>
> Microsoft plans to store customer search data separately from data tied to
> people, e-mail addresses or phone numbers and take steps to assure no
> unauthorized correlation of these types of data can be made. It also will
> permanently remove "cookie" user identification data, Web address? or other
> identifiers.
>
> "Microsoft is going to do a more thorough scrub of customer data once it
> is too old," said Peter Swire, a law professor at Ohio State Universitywho served as
> U.S. privacy czar in the 1990s. "Previously, the practice was to do a
> partial scrub."
>
> As part of Microsoft's push, 
> Ask.com<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/nm/tc_nm/storytext/privacy_microsoft_dc/23837503/SIG=10gl4k8il/*http://Ask.com>,
> the Web search business of Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp 
> (Nasdaq:IACI<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/finance/nm/tc_nm/storytext/privacy_microsoft_dc/23837503/*http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=iaci&d=t>-
> news<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/biz/nm/tc_nm/storytext/privacy_microsoft_dc/23837503/*http://biz.yahoo.com/n/i/iaci.html>),
> has agreed to join Microsoft in calling for the industry to adopt a common
> set of privacy practices for data collection, commercial use and consumer
> protection in search and online advertising. Last week, it unveiled
> AskEraser, a service that will allow Ask customers to change their privacy
> preferences at any time.
>
> Microsoft's initiatives follow recent moves by Google, the dominant
> provider of Web searches and the company most under fire by privacy
> advocates concerned at how rapid advances in search technology may pose
> unprecedented threats to consumer privacy.
>
> Google set in motion industry efforts to limit how long Web search data is
> stored by being first to say it will in the future cleanse personal
> information from its databases after 18 months. Microsoft is one-upping
> Google by making its move retroactive.
>
> Google has stepped up its own efforts to reach compromises with European
> Union and U.S. policy-makers in recent months.
>
> ...
>
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> privacy () whitestar linuxbox org
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--
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
Shyaam Sundhar R.S., GREM, GHTQ, GWAS, GPCI, SSP-CNSA

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