Ask.com's 'AskEraser' [Archive]

Binary Soldier

03-11-2008, 01:27 PM

Search Engines log the IP's of the people using them, their search queries and other stuff I'm sure, and keep this data for a long time.

I had a few seconds to view a magazine article today saying that www.ask.com has a new feature called AskEraser (http://sp.uk.ask.com/en/docs/about/askeraser.shtml) which if used, sets a cookie (with a life of 2 years):-

AskEraser will completely delete your search queries and data from Ask.com servers, including: your IP address, User ID and Session ID cookies, as well as the complete text of your search query--all within a matter of hours, except in rare circumstances

I thought this was a nice feature and that Ask.com are taking a step in the right direction compared to how Google are heading.

We've discussed 'NoScript' a few times, and for the last year or so I've prevented Google setting any cookies within my browser knowing how they pool data, but I thought this was a good move. In the UK Google has 98% of all searches made, so perhaps this logging of our interests is creating a market for more desirable services.

Jredrum

03-11-2008, 02:26 PM

Yeah except for all this

Is there any reason Ask.com will stop deleting my search activity?
Even when AskEraser is enabled, Ask.com may temporarily retain your search activity data in the cases of:

* Critical errors or abnormal operation -- if the data from AskEraser users is necessary to solve a critical technical issue emanating from internal sources (instability, etc.) or external sources (Denial of Service Attack, etc.), search activity data may be retained for a longer period. At the time of technical resolution all search activity data of AskEraser users that was retained will be deleted.
* Formal legal request -- Ask.com must abide by the laws and regulations of local, state and federal authorities. Even when Ask Eraser is enabled, we may store your search activity data if so requested by law enforcement or legal authority pursuant to due process. In such case, we will retain your search data even if AskEraser appears to be turned on
http://sp.ask.com/en/docs/about/askeraser.shtml#10

What information do we disclose to third parties?

Third Party Service Providers. Some elements on the Sites, such as news content, our Smart Answers, or the sponsored links advertising on our search results pages, are supplied to us by third parties under contract. In those cases, we may supply some information we gather from you to those third-parties so that they can provide those elements for display on the Sites. Information that we may share with third parties is: (a) your Internet Protocol (IP) address; (b) the address of the last URL you visited prior to clicking through to the Site; (c) your browser and platform type (e.g., a Netscape browser on a Macintosh platform); (d) your browser language; (e) the data in any undeleted cookies that your browser previously accepted from us and (f) the search queries you submit. For example, when you submit a query we transmit it (and some of the related information described above) to our paid listing providers in order to obtain relevant advertising to display in response to your query. We may merge information about you into group data, which may then be shared on an aggregated basis with our advertisers. If you provide us with answers to voluntary survey questions, we may present this information to our advertisers and partners in the form of grouped statistics compiled from our users' answers to such questions. These third party companies have their own policies as to record keeping and data retention. Even if AskEraser is enabled, your search activity will not automatically be deleted from the servers of these third party companies.

Law Enforcement/Legal Requirements. We may disclose your personally identifiable information as well as your IP address and other information to comply with court orders or subpoenas or when required to do so by law. We also may disclose such information in compliance with a law enforcement or government request or where we believe it is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person, violations of our Terms of Service, as necessary to render or conduct a legitimate business activity related to a service we provide, or to comply with legal or regulatory obligations.

If you are using Ask Eraser, in some cases we may be required by law enforcement to retain your search data even when Ask Eraser is enabled, without alerting you. Ask will carefully review all requests of this nature.
http://sp.ask.com/en/docs/about/privacy.shtml#4