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EU data privacy adviser widens Google probe to all Internet search engines
[June 21, 2007]

EU data privacy adviser widens Google probe to all Internet search engines


(Associated Press WorldStream Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) BRUSSELS, Belgium_All Internet search engines' privacy policies will come under the EU microscope as the bloc's data privacy adviser widened a probe Thursday triggered by concerns that Google Inc. could be violating EU privacy rules by storing search information for too long.



The EU's panel of national data protection officers said the length of time that search engines store data for Internet server logs was becoming a burning issue.

"The Working Party will deal with search engines in general and scrutinize their activities from a data protection point of view, because this issue affects and ever growing number of users," it said in a statement.


Trying to soothe EU concerns, Google this month offered to cut the time it retains data on user searches from the current 24 months to 18 months, saying this was going further than most other search engines.

The world's largest Internet search engine relies on its cookies and user logs to compile information of the search terms entered into specific Web browsers as well as other potentially sensitive online information. The company says the data help its search engine better understand its users so it can deliver more relevant results and advertisements.

It insists that its retention periods comply with EU data privacy rules.

The 28-member panel, which advises the European Commission and EU governments on data protection issues, said it still needed to carefully analyze Google's response to the initial query and would also look at other search engines in the coming weeks to evaluate what data protection issues were at stake.

It has also asked Google to answer questions on the specific use of cookies, threads of computer coding used by Google and other Web sites to collect insights about what sites people visit.

The EU investigation into Google comes amid growing concerns over the California-based companies privacy practices.

London-based Privacy International has rated Google the worst among the Internet's top destinations on privacy.

The watchdog said it was particularly troubled by Google's ability to match data gathered by its search engine with information collected from other services such as e-mail, instant messaging and maps.

Plans to develop more tools that expand information collected on users of its search engine disturb privacy advocates who fear possible abuses despite Google's vows to respect and protect the user information. One of the biggest fears is that a government authority conducting an investigation or surveillance program might try to pry into Google's data vault.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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