Peter Fleischer, Google's Global Privacy Counsel, has posted a short video to help explain basic search privacy concepts, such as what appears in a search query log entry, etc. This is really basic stuff, but a good step towards educating…
Read More Google Posts Search Privacy Video, and Leaving Comments Threatens Privacy
I noted a few weeks ago how privacy of Web search data has recently become an issue in the forefront of many people's minds. Well, the virus is spreading: Search engines dealing with privacy standards: The European Digital Rights advocacy…
About a year ago Google posted interesting research on technology enabling your computer to listen to the ambient sounds emitted from your TV, automatically determine what is being watched (recognizing the theme song to "Seinfeld" or the sounds of a…
For those concerned about the ease at which Web search providers can monitor, capture and profile your search activity, you'll be pleased to know that some important enhancements have been added to the popular TrackMeNot Firefox extension. As you might…
Jimbo Wales replied to my open questions on some of the privacy concerns that quickly arise given that it seems Wikia Search will be advertising supported. From the open forum (my original requestions in bold, Wales' answers beneath): What kind…
Read More Some Answers – and More Questions – on Wikia Search, Advertising, and User Privacy
I think we've all heard now that Jimbo Wales has set his sights on creating a search engine to rival Google, Yahoo and the rest of the gang. It is currently under development as Wikia Search (but I'm guessing the…
Read More Open Questions on Wikia Search, Advertising, and User Privacy
The Jan van Eyck Academie in beautiful Maastricht, Netherlands is hosting a forum on the French information technology project Quaero, its political agenda, and the new frontiers that appear if its initial questions are to be taken seriously. For the…
Read More Quaero Forum: A public think tank on the politics of the search engine
The title of this post is the headline from a story in today's Wall Street Journal (non-firewall version here), detailing how the largest web search engines are starting to make changes to how they handle the data collected from their…
I'm paraphrasing from this odd letter Peter Fleischer sent to the Financial Times in response to a fashion article about men's suits & ties. The key passage: Men should lose their "business attire" and wear T-shirts to work. Wouldn't you…
Read More Google’s Chief Privacy Counsel: “Don’t trust fat businessmen”
In a bold, unilateral move, the web search engine Ask.com has announced it will soon be implementing a new product called AskEraser which promises to allow users to erase their search history: With AskEraser, people can ensure that their search…
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