EU warns Google over search records
09/04/2008 17:21:03
The European Union (EU) is warning search engines that they could be forced to delete personal information after six months if new guidelines are approved.
The Article 29 Working Party calls for increased user notification and warns that web search services that fail to do so may be unlawful.
"It is the opinion of the Working Party that search engines in their role as collectors of user data have so far insufficiently explained the nature and purpose of their operations to the users of their services," stated the report.
Google said that it kept information about individual search queries for several reasons including the improvement of the quality of its services and that it should not be forced to discard information linking such information after only six months.
Google and other search engines typically "anonymise" the search records of their users, meaning that they cannot be used to identify or deliver more personally targeted adverts to an individual user after a certain period of time.
9057: Looking for a new challenge? Check out our latest job vacancies by clicking here. (Link)
