Asks.com lets users control privacy
p2pnet news | Freedom:- Ask.com may not have Google, Yahoo or MSN’s market share, “but it’s determined to best its competitors in another crucial way,” says eWeek.
Privacy.
In an “extreme departure from Ask.com’s previous data retention policy and those of its rival search engines, which hold onto user data to mine it for keywords they may use to better tailor ads to users,” Ask.com, “turned on AskEraser, a privacy control that dumps information about users’ search queries within a few hours,” says the story.
This would be an anathema to Facebook which is determined to make money out of user data.
When users click the AskEraser icon on the company’s website, “search data will be wiped from its servers, although some data could be retained for legal purposes and some because Ask relies on Google to deliver advertising links on its site,” says The Independent.
“For people who worry about their online privacy, AskEraser now gives them control of their search information,” says Ask boss Jim Lanzone in the story, adding:
“The service, which went live yesterday in the US and UK, has been welcomed by privacy groups, but until larger ISPs such as Google – which controls well over half of the search market – adopt similar initiatives, the impact of AskEraser is likely to be limited.”
Also See:
eWeek – Ask.com Flips the Privacy Switch, December 12, 2007
The Independent – Ask.com challenges Google with data privacy feature, December 12, 2007
Want to help p2pnet stay online? Please click here.
Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It’s really easy!
Subscribe to p2pnet.net | | rss feed: http://p2pnet.net/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://p2pnet.net/index-wml.php
