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EU Broadens Probe of Search Engines and Privacy

Posted by kdawson on from the 30-year-cookies-need-preservatives dept.

Raver32 sends in word of a PC World article reporting that EU officials are looking beyond Google in their examination of the impact search engines have on privacy. Quoting: "A panel of European data protection officials called the Article 29 Working Group decided Wednesday to request information from Google's rivals amid concerns that search engines are holding onto information about the people who use them for too long, Hustinx said. Hustinx... declined to name the companies. However, they are believed to include Yahoo Inc., Lycos Inc. and Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Live.com."

2 of 35 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Pot / Kettle by jez9999 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Absolutely, I was about to post the same thing. This apparent concern for citizens' privacy from Big Bad search engines (oh god, they might be able to track what certain IPs searched for!?!) is hilarious from governments who have passed draconian legislation like the RIPA. It's probably an attempt to distract from what they're doing. Don't be fooled - Google is far less evil than your government in this regard.

    --
    == Jez ==
    Do you miss Firefox? Try Pale Moon.
  2. Re:Pot / Kettle by Ravnen · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Google is far less evil than your government in this regard.
    The management of Google aren't elected, unlike my government. There are many things that are best left to the private sector, for example I don't like seeing the state trying to manipulate competition. However, when it comes to protecting citizens' rights, including privacy, that's one of the most important things the state is there for. I trust the state to protect my privacy rights far more than any private firm, particularly an advertising firm (and a foreign one at that).