[Infowarrior] - EU probes Google grip on data

[Richard Forno]

EU probes Google grip on data

By Maija Palmer in London

Published: May 24 2007 19:49 | Last updated: May 24 2007 19:49

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/dc89ec96-0a24-11dc-93ae-000b5df10621.html

European data protection officials have raised concerns that Google could be
contravening European privacy laws by keeping data on internet searches for
too long.

The Article 29 working party, a group of national officials that advises the
European Union on privacy policy, sent a letter to Google last week asking
the company to justify its policy of keeping information on individuals¹
internet searches for up to two years.

The letter questioned whether Google had ³fulfilled all the necessary
requirements² on data protection.

The data kept by Google includes the search term typed in, the address of
the internet server and occasionally more personal information contained on
³cookies², or identifier programs, on an individual¹s computer.

This is separate to the personal information Google has begun collecting
over the past two years from people who give the group explicit permission
to do so. 

Standard search information is kept about everyone who uses the search
engine, and privacy groups are concerned that even this ostensibly
non-personal data can be used to identify individuals and create profiles of
their political opinions, religious beliefs and sexual preferences.

Google previously kept such data indefinitely, but in March announced it
would limit the storage time to two years, in an attempt to assuage
concerns.

But many members of the working party feel that even two years is too long
to keep data, and the group has asked Google to justify its policy.

Separately, the Norwegian Data Inspectorate began an investigation into
Google and other search engine companies last October and has stated that
the 18- to 24-month period proposed by Google was too long.

³After the service is finished we cannot see reasons why the company should
keep the addresses for a longer period. Of course there can be reasons like
security, but 18 to 24 months is to our point of view far to long,² the
inspectorate said.

Peter Fleischer, European privacy counsel for Google, said the company
needed to keep search information for some time for security purposes ­ to
help guard against hacking and people trying to misuse Google¹s advertising
system.

Mr Fleischer is set to respond to the working party before their next
meeting in June.

He said other companies such as Yahoo and Microsoft had not yet declared a
limit to the information they keep.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007