EUIST

Privacy is a really precious thing
Your search records do, however, reveal much about what you did and may be kept for a long time if not forever.
Article 29 Data Protection Working Party tried to a its bit to protect all our privacy from our search engine friends and online advertisers.
We tell you more below

The EU-IST has learned that the Article 29 Data Protection Working Party had a meeting Friday 2008-04-04. Amongst other important discussions, the delegates concluded that Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and other internet search engine providers keep their user data too long.

The Article 29 Working Party is composed of representatives of the national data protection authorities (DPA), the EDPS and the European Commission. It decided that data providers must cut the time they retain users’ online records if they are to comply with European Union privacy laws.

Proposals have been unanimously adopted that may have the effect of compellinge search engines to change the way they store data unless there is ‘a valid justification’ for their present practices.

The recommended maximum time for keeping users’ search data is six months. This reommendation could threaten the practice of internet advertisers, whereby users’ online records (i.e. long term and short term data) are used in order to offer personally targeted ads.

The website of the working party you can find here:

Article 29 Working Party’s Website

PS. no – there is no offical documentation such as minutes about this meeting available for download at this time.