Search engines should not hold on to personal data at the end of six months due to privacy concerns, the European Commission's data protection watchdog has recommended in a report.
In a draft document issued following an extensive inquiry into data retention, the commission's advisory body on data protection said: "Search engine providers must delete or irreversibly anonymise personal data once they no longer serve the specified and legitimate purpose they were collected for."
In a draft document issued following an extensive inquiry into data retention, the commission's advisory body on data protection said: "Search engine providers must delete or irreversibly anonymise personal data once they no longer serve the specified and legitimate purpose they were collected for."
"The consent of the user must be sought for all planned cross-relation of user data, user profile enrichment exercises," the document further reads, noting that collectors have "insufficiently explained" to their users what they are retaining data for.
Furthermore, the report calls for the consent of the user to be sought "for all planned cross-relation of user data and user profile enrichment exercises" - in other words, joining up bits of user data to deliver other services or to develop a profile of the web-surfer.
The group was established to advise the European Commission and make recommendations on data protection. It is unusual for the commission to not heed its advice – although any attempt to do so is set to be sharply opposed by the major search engine providers, such as Google and Yahoo, who retain such data for up to 18 months.
Furthermore, the report calls for the consent of the user to be sought "for all planned cross-relation of user data and user profile enrichment exercises" - in other words, joining up bits of user data to deliver other services or to develop a profile of the web-surfer.
The group was established to advise the European Commission and make recommendations on data protection. It is unusual for the commission to not heed its advice – although any attempt to do so is set to be sharply opposed by the major search engine providers, such as Google and Yahoo, who retain such data for up to 18 months.
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