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Yahoo Promises To Anonymize and Limit User Data

Posted by timothy on from the avoid-those-embarrassing-autocompletes dept.

quarterbuck writes "While Google is saying that personalization is the key to search, Yahoo is taking a different view of the topic. Yahoo announced plans to retain user data for no longer than 90 days and to anonymize data. Even if Yahoo is not your favorite search engine, it is a good move in the direction of online privacy if it will force others to follow suit." Reader Mike adds "Yahoo did say, however, that it will keep some data for up to six months for security and fraud reasons, as part of some 'specific and limited exceptions.'"

7 of 76 comments (clear)

  1. Reverse contracts by girlintraining · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The problem in IT today is that contracts give companies the power, not the end user. If you want to level the playing field, what we need is for the user to make contracts and exceptions about how their data is used, and then legally enforce it. In short, a user's union. We could design plugins to our browsers to eliminate companies from consideration that do not adhere to our privacy requests -- in effect, blackholing them. Since our private data is considered to have value, we want something back for it -- so we'd organize together to give that data out in exchange for monentary compensation.

    that said... It would never work. People don't care to organize to protect their rights. They're quite happy with the current state of affairs.

    --
    #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
  2. personalization is not always personal data by dsvick · · Score: 5, Informative
    I think some people get up in arms about this without realizing that, in many cases, the "personal" data being kept isn't really personal anyway. It is their search and browsing history, their clicks and the sites they've visited. It's not necessarily anything personal about that them the site doesn't already have on file for it's users.

    Yahoo is still keeping the user's name, contact info, preferences, favorites, and other items, just as is Google, MSN, and any other online service/portal you sign up for. What they aren't keeping (after 90 days), or rather are not associating with the individual user, is the information that they could/did use to target advertising to the user.

    Google is retaining it and probably charging more, or at least getting a better response rate, for their advertising because of it.

    Given the way things are now I don't see how anyone could have the expectation that anything you do on the web could possible be anonymous. Just browsing a site takes your request through any number of different systems any one of which could be logging the information and using for who know what. At least with the Googles, and the Yahoos you have a reasonable idea of what they are keeping and how they are using it.

  3. Re:I want enforceable privacy by sdnoob · · Score: 5, Insightful

    the reason why "99% of end-users couldn't care less" is because they do not comprehend the implications involved with such "personalization" and retention of data. i'd be willing to wager that most of that "clueless majority", if properly educated on the issue in a way they can understand, would be shocked and outraged when they learn the real truth.

    this is a good move for yahoo, and for the users; and hopefully yahoo still has enough clout to start a trend away from wholesale collection of user data.

  4. Re:I want enforceable privacy by wassabison · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Of course the implications could be much higher quality search results.

  5. Re:I want enforceable privacy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That there are (rather cumbersome) means to prevent Googles data-hoarding does not relinquish the companies corporate responsibility, especially considering their chosen motto.

  6. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  7. Re:I want enforceable privacy by vux984 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The problem with personalization is that it's an extremely sensitive topic for 1% of the population (us, the geeks), but 99% of end-users couldn't care less.

    99% of end-uses couldn't care less until it bites them in the ass, and then you see their dopey teary eyed face splattered all over the news when something hits the fan... "I just can't believe google/facebook/youtube/myspace had all this information about me! The identity thieves started by hacking my gmail account... and from that were able to reset my facebook password, and from there they had everything... they were able to completely drain my bank accounts, and even managed to successfully impersonate me to my parents and scammed them out of thousands... my parents said the theives used a bad quality phone line, but they didn't suspect a thing, because they new everything... they asked how Dad was coping with losing his job, how my sister was doing, they even talked about the camping trip we went on in the summer... and they got all this from the online data, reading my email, looking at my pictures, and trawling my social network... I just can't beleive this was all right there for the taking."

    Then they'll say... "The government really needs to do something."