Google currently stores search terms along
with the internet protocol (IP) addresses which could be used at a
later date to help to identify the people behind a query.
The
company has said that it will now delete the IP addresses after
between 18 and 24 months. It will continue to store the search
information for as long as it deems it useful.
"When you search on Google, we collect
information about your search, such as the query itself, IP
addresses and cookie details," said a Google blog written by the
company's privacy lawyer in Europe, Peter Fleischer, and its deputy general counsel
Nicole Wong.
"Previously, we kept this data for as long as
it was useful. Today we're pleased to report a change in our
privacy policy: unless we're legally required to retain log data
for longer, we will anonymize our server logs after a limited
period of time. We will continue to keep server log data but will
make this data much more anonymous, so that it can no longer be
identified with individual users, after 18–24 months," said
Fleischer and Wong.
Google said that its decision was taken after
consultation with privacy groups in Europe and the US. Washington's
Center for Democracy and Technology welcomed the move.
"This is an extremely positive development,"
Ari Schwartz, deputy director of the CDT, told the BBC. "It's the
type of thing we have been advocating for a number of years."
The search
engine firm said that it was retaining logs for up to 24 months to
comply with data retention laws, and that it may have to extend the
limit if other laws are passed which demand longer retention.
The EU Data Retention Directive mandates that
countries pass laws by later this year that make it compulsory for
service providers to retain certain customer data for between six
months and two years.
The Directive affects phone, mobile phone and
internet service providers, though ISPs can request for its
implementation to be deferred in relation to them until 2009.
"By anonymizing our server logs after 18–24
months, we think we’re striking the right balance between two
goals: continuing to improve Google’s services for you, while
providing more transparency and certainty about our retention
practices," said Fleischer and Wong. "In the future, it's possible
that data retention laws will obligate us to retain logs for longer
periods."
