Internet Search Privacy

This New York Times article covers Microsoft's decision to retain Bing user's search history for six months. Bing, Google, and other search engines record the searches that users conduct. They keep this information for various lengths of time. It is used for advertising purposes so that when a user opens the engine and conducts a search, the browser gears the advertisements displayed to that user based on past searches. Depending on point of view, this could be a valuable service, as the user is presented with information and advertisements that may be similar to past inquiries. It could be a time saver, and useful resource.

On the other hand, this could be viewed as an intrusion on one's privacy. The process presents advertisements and information based on a past search. Perhaps that search was to investigate a medical condition the user wants to keep confidential. A subsequent user of that person's computer could be presented with search suggestions or advertisements and might be able to deduce private information. Or maybe the search that is recalled and used by Bing to present new sites was just an incorrectly spelled word.

Microsoft's decision to delete one's search history after six months, compared to some browsers maintaining this history much longer, will be seen by privacy advocates as a good step, if not a complete step, toward improving personal privacy.