EU Questions Google Data-Retention Policies
303183
In April, Internet users typed a staggering 3.77 billion searches into Google, according to statistics compiled by Nielsen/NetRatings Inc. That total accounted for just over fifty-five percent of all searches; Yahoo Inc. was second with roughly twenty-two percent of all searches.
581365
EU-Google negotiations going swimmingly The head of Europe's privacy watchdogs said that he is still in negotiations with Google about a major data retention dispute and is confident that the search giant will change its policies.â¦Learn &amp; Contribute, Live &amp; Online - The Register Debates Green Computing
501046
Google is facing mounting protests from newspaper publishers in Europe, the impact of which could ultimately affect the amount of content available to end users through search engines.
284350
Directive does not apply to search engines Google is not bound by the Data Retention Directive when it comes to search engine logs, Europe's data protection committee has said. Google has used the Directive to justify keeping data, but OUT-LAW has learned that the law does not apply.â¦
324484
(InfoWorld) - Google Inc. will make the data it stores about end users anonymous in its server logs after 18 months, part of an effort to deflate concerns about privacy raised last month by a European Union working group. In a letter sent to the group on Monday, Google also said it is looking at ways to redesign its Web cookies and reduce the length of time they are stored on users' PCs. Cookies are small files that uniquely identify a Web browser and are widely used to track surfing behavior and store user preferences. The letter, from Google's global privacy counsel, Peter Fleischer, was in response to a letter sent last month by the E.U.'s Article 29 Data Protection Working Party, which outlined its concerns about Google's service. Among them, it questioned why the company needed to retain its server logs for 18 to 24 months, saying the practice does not appear to meet Europe's data protection rules. The server logs, which include search histories, can be linked to individual users and therefore constitute personal data, the group said. Fleischer responded by saying that Google would make data anonymous in its server logs after 18 months, the low end of its previous commitment. "We ... firmly reject any suggestions that we could meet our legitimate interests in security, innovation and anti-fraud efforts with any retention periods shorter than 18 months," Fleischer wrote. The company said it needs the log data to improve its search algorithms, fight click fraud and spam, comply with data retention laws, and meet "valid legal orders from law enforcement as they investigate and prosecute serious crimes like child exploitation." It noted that the E.U.'s own Data Retention Directive will require companies to retain such data for 6 to 18 months when new laws go into effect by 2009. Since few countries have passed their retention laws yet, "we have no choice but to be prepared to retain log data for up to 24 months," Fleischer wrote. The working group had also complained about the length of time Google stores cookies on users' PCs. Google said that it is exploring ways to redesign its cookies to improve privacy and that it would make an announcement "in the coming months." One observer, while acknowledging privacy concerns about Google, was critical of the working group for singling out one company. "These concerns would have been equally applicable to Yahoo or Microsoft or many other companies on the Internet," said Danny Sullivan, editor-in-chief of the Web site Search Engine Land, who wrote a detailed analysis of Google's response. Microsoft and Yahoo have not specified how long they store their log files, he said, and they may retain them for longer than Google. He also said the group showed "technical ignorance" by focussing on server logs. Like other search engines, Google collects information about users each time they register for a service such as Gmail or Adwords. These "user databases" contain more personal information than server logs can gather, and they are often retained until a user closes the account or actively deletes the information, he said. The working group in its letter last month cited Google's "market position and ever-growing dominance." It also thanked the company for its "ongoing engagement with the data protection community," especially in contrast with "a lack of engagement by some of the other leading players" in the search industry. The group is expected to discuss Google's response at a meeting later this month. Â
561571
(InfoWorld) - A European consumer group has complained that Google's proposed acquisition of online ad broker DoubleClick could hurt privacy rights due to the massive amount of data the companies would hold. In a letter, the Bureau EuropÃ©en des Unions de Consommateurs (BEUC) has asked the European Commission and other authorities to investigate how the deal would affect consumers. Google, whichÂ bought DoubleClickÂ in April for $3.1 billion, refuted the assertion that the deal will harm privacy. "Not surprisingly, we don't agree," said Rachel Whetstone, Google's director of European corporate communications, on Thursday. The company thinks the deal will lead to lower priced ad services for both publishers and advertisers, and the delivery of more relevant ads to users, she said. Google's deal with DoubleClick also prompted scrutiny. The U.S. TheÂ Federal Trade Commission is investigatingÂ the deal following a complaint filed by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the Center for Digital Democracy, and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. The groups are concerned how Google will protect its data and users' privacy, including how it will handle cookies and other data that could potentially be used to identify Internet users. The European Commission has not yet been formally notified of the deal by Google or DoubleClick, a Commission spokeswoman said. Acquisitions can fall under the purview of national competition authorities or the European Commission, depending on where the companies do business, their turnover and other factors, the spokeswoman said. Â
23762
After scrutinizing Google's user-privacy protections, EU investigators are turning their attentions to rivals such as Yahoo and Windows Live.
159360
A proposed law would require companies to keep detailed data about peopleâs Internet and phone use that goes beyond a European Union directive.
55121
Facebook is to be quizzed about its data protection policies by the Information Commissioner's Office.
231314
Data protection officials from 27 European countries have warned Google it is storing data on people's searches for too long.
12412
By Kevin J. O'Brien and Thomas Crampton  In the latest example of a U.S. technology giant potentially being called on the carpet in Europe, Google has been warned that it may be violating European Union privacy laws by storing data on its users for up to two years.
629720
Cyber big brothers or friendly providers of targeted information? European parliamentarians have found themselves at odds with Internet giants such as Google on the thorny issue of online privacy.
687609
Google has responded to a U.S. congressman&#39;s series of questions about its privacy practices, with the company defending its use of consumer data.
755968
The European Union investigates whether saving search data violates privacy laws.
388463
The European Union's top security official yesterday lauded Google's decision to scale back how long it keeps personally identifiable data accumulated from its users as a step towards addressing privacy concerns.
457501
Google says it would consider keeping search data for longer than 18 months in an opt-in scheme.
4647
Google attacked European  parliamentarians and privacy advocates on Monday for trying to  have competition authorities consider the handling of personal  information in its $3.1 billion takeover of rival DoubleClick.