In their own words: Search engines on privacy

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If you do, is there a way for users to opt out of behavioral targeting?
Cullen: Once Microsoft begins to offer behavioral ad targeting on third-party sites, we will offer customers the ability to opt out of the behavioral ad targeting by Microsoft's network-advertising service on those Web sites. This is consistent with the privacy principles of the Network Advertising Initiative, which Microsoft announced it will join. We will also continue to develop new user controls that will enhance privacy, such as letting people search and surf our sites without being associated with a personal and unique identifier used for behavioral ad targeting.

(Editor's note: We followed up with a phone call to ask for details. Microsoft replied that it does do behavioral targeting on its own Web sites, and users must log out to avoid it. Once Microsoft begins offering behavioral targeting of ads on third-party sites-something that's not currently done--it'll offer the ability to opt out.)

Do you use knowledge about your users (such as ZIP code, e-mail address, gender, or birthdate) obtained through user registration to deliver targeted ads on your search engine?
Cullen: To provide the most relevant ads possible, Microsoft's ad-serving technologies use some user-provided demographic data (like gender, age or ZIP code) shared during Hotmail and Windows Live services registration, but they do not utilize information that could personally and directly identify a user in order to choose which advertisement a user should receive. Our ad platform's architecture relies on mathematical algorithms which disassociate personal information from demographic and behavioral attributes used in ad targeting.

No individual customer data of any kind is passed by Microsoft to any advertiser unless customers have asked us to do so.

Do you use knowledge about the identities of your users' instant messaging or e-mail correspondents when using those services, or the contents of those communications, to deliver targeted ads on your search engine?
Cullen: Microsoft does not use knowledge of users' correspondents or the contents of their instant messaging or e-mail communications to target ads on our search engine.

In terms of behavioral ad targeting, is there a way to opt-out on your primary search engine or just on third-party sites?
Cullen: Consistent with the Microsoft Online Privacy Statement, we currently utilize behavioral targeting on our Windows Live sites and services. If customers wish to disable behavioral targeting and not receive targeted ads on our network, they can log out of their Windows Live ID and delete their cookies.

We will continue to develop new user controls that will enhance privacy. Such controls may include letting individuals use our search service and surf Microsoft sites without being associated with a personal and unique identifier used for behavioral ad targeting, or allowing signed-in users to control personalization of the services they receive.

Yahoo

Here are responses from Yahoo spokesman Jim Cullinan. The company--which is No. 2 in search--has incorporated user-generated content from its question-and-answer site Yahoo Answers into its main search results.

What search-related data--including IP addresses, cookie IDs, user identities, and search terms--do you retain?
Cullinan: Our privacy policy makes it clear that we "automatically receive and record information on our server logs from your browser including your IP address, Yahoo cookie information, and the page you requested."

How long do you retain those data?
Cullinan: Yahoo's global policy is: all search log data will be anonymized within 13 months of collection except where users request otherwise or where Yahoo is required to retain the information to comply with legal obligations.

If you retain data for a limited period of time, is it completely deleted (in such a way that the data and backups cannot be recovered, even under court order) or is it anonymized instead?
Cullinan: It is anonymized after 13 months.

If the data are anonymized, exactly how do you do this?
Cullinan: We remove portions of the IP address and personally identifiable cookie IDs.

Do you do behavioral targeting, meaning showing ads to users based on their behavior across multiple queries?
Cullinan: Yes, we do.

If you do, is there a way for users to opt out of behavioral targeting?
Cullinan: No.

Do you use knowledge about your users (such as ZIP code, e-mail address, gender, or birth date) obtained through user registration to deliver targeted ads on your search engine?
Cullinan: Per our privacy policy, when a user is logged into a Yahoo product or service, they are not anonymous to us. Logged-in users may receive customized ads based on general demographic categories such as geo-location, gender, and/or age range.

Do you use knowledge about the identities of your users' instant messaging or e-mail correspondents when using those services, or the contents of those communications, to deliver targeted ads on your search engine?
Cullinan: The Yahoo practice to date is not to use content of personal communication for ad targeting.

You said Yahoo removes "portions of the IP Address." But details are important. IPv4 addresses are 32 bits. If you remove any four bits of the IP address, it's not much of an anonymization because it narrows down the user to 1 of 16 addresses (2⁴ is 16). If you removed any 16 bits, however, it would be more privacy-protective because it narrows down the user to 1 of 65,536 addresses (2¹⁶ is 65,536). Can you elaborate?
Cullinan: Our policy will mean that anonymous is anonymous and we will put safeguards in place to ensure that. Other details will come very soon.

Do you remove the beginning or end portion of the IP address?
Cullinan: Same as above.

Do you plan to give users any way to opt out of behavioral targeting in the future?
Cullinan: Yahoo currently offers users the ability to opt out of off-network behavioral targeting in accordance with NAI principles, but we are considering many different options to best help our users be in control of their online experience and their information.

[Dolphie1]

Re: Google

This article appears flawed. Google does utilize behavior based tactics. Conduct a search on any topic and notice the ads on the search page. Wath the type of ads which appear relative to one's search habits.

[declan00]

not behavioral targeting

That's not what people mean by behavioral targeting. Read the question and the response more closely.

[spothannah]

"a few hours"

When your talking Whooping Cranes a few = 2. When your talking Population of China a few = a couple of million. Please make them define "few" with at least an upper limit like "24 hours."

[commentator2010]

Phone calls used to be private before the anti terrorism acts in homeland security. Now privacy in this country, regardless of medium, is constantly compromised. I wonder if Google and all the rest would be willing to open all their private information to the public. They decide what will be my enhanced browsing experience while creating the opportunity for everyone else to discover what I do or what I want to know. When does the little guy get to decide for him or herself just what should be collected and saved and by whom? Maybe consumers should go back to snail mail and tell all these big brother organizations to take a hike. No they do not have a right to collect personal data. They simply assume the right and tell everyone that they have the right because no one is big enough to challenge them. People and companies government officials, get away with anything that the individual would be crucified for. I suppose that really is change we can believe in. The right to privacy stops at birth. Never mind the constitution; it does not apply to those who are too big to fail. People should have the right to freely move about the net in relative anonymity without anyone keeping tabs on them. The KGB used to do that too. In some venues, there are words that describe that kind of behavior. But hey Komrade; maybe you haf other interestink tings to share wit beeg brutter; eh?