A European Commission advisory body has suggested that search companies delete data collected about their users after six months -- a far cry from what most companies currently do. The recommendation arrived in a 29-page "opinion" (PDF) published Friday by a European Commission body known as the Article 29 Working Party. Backed by privacy groups, it has been pressuring Internet companies on the search data front for months. The report focused on advertising-supported search engines, as opposed to search functions embedded in Web sites.
The Working Party's suggestions don't officially have the force of law yet, but they are expected to be adopted by the EC. The EC already adopted a broader set of data protection laws a decade ago, but this report was meant to address specifically how search engines, including those headquartered outside its borders, fit into that setup.
Privacy in search engines is critical because "an individual's search history contains a footprint of that person's interests, relations, and intentions," which can then be mined by businesses and national security operatives alike, the working party wrote.
News Source: ZDNet Australia
The Working Party's suggestions don't officially have the force of law yet, but they are expected to be adopted by the EC. The EC already adopted a broader set of data protection laws a decade ago, but this report was meant to address specifically how search engines, including those headquartered outside its borders, fit into that setup.
Privacy in search engines is critical because "an individual's search history contains a footprint of that person's interests, relations, and intentions," which can then be mined by businesses and national security operatives alike, the working party wrote.

Reply Prediction 1:
Screw the Europeans. America should just buy Europe!
Reply Prediction 2:
Screw the Europeans. America should just stop doing business with them. That would show them!
Reply Prediction 3:
Blame Steve Jobs!
Reply Prediction 4:
Blame Bill Gates!
Reply Prediction 5:
Releasing Vista too early made this worse!
Reply Prediction 6:
Are you crazy? Thanks to Vista's enhanced security, this is a non-issue!
Reply Prediction 7:
How did this make the front page?
Reply Prediction 8:
Slow news day, eh?
No More Predictions.
Last edited by SniperX on 09 Apr 2008 - 12:51
anyway i choose reply 7
Screw the Europeans. America should just buy Europe!
With WHAT money?. US dollar is almost trash on this days... Only worth on 3rd world contries...
Screw the Europeans. America should just buy Europe!
With WHAT money?. US dollar is almost trash on this days... Only worth on 3rd world contries...
The exchange rate is not the same as worth.
Screw the Europeans. America should just buy Europe!
Too late! We already bought Iraq, and we just don't have the funds.
Depends where your business is located - if your business operates in EU they have to follow the EU laws, if they operate in USA they follow the local laws etc.
If the person/people/company running the service is in EU and the servers are in USA, the business can be sued / banned from operating in EU if they break the laws.
Depends where your business is located - if your business operates in EU they have to follow the EU laws, if they operate in USA they follow the local laws etc.
If the person/people/company running the service is in EU and the servers are in USA, the business can be sued / banned from operating in EU if they break the laws.
So in essence it's another rule geared at screwing over businesses that don't actually reside within the EU, so ~90% of the targeted businesses I'd guess
Depends where your business is located - if your business operates in EU they have to follow the EU laws, if they operate in USA they follow the local laws etc.
If the person/people/company running the service is in EU and the servers are in USA, the business can be sued / banned from operating in EU if they break the laws.
So in essence it's another rule geared at screwing over businesses that don't actually reside within the EU, so ~90% of the targeted businesses I'd guess
Please. What makes you think that businesses residing within the EU don't have to follow EU laws now? I'm also assuming that if the shoe were on the other foot, you'd be happy for EU companies not to comply with US law whilst operating there?
Depends where your business is located - if your business operates in EU they have to follow the EU laws, if they operate in USA they follow the local laws etc.
If the person/people/company running the service is in EU and the servers are in USA, the business can be sued / banned from operating in EU if they break the laws.
So in essence it's another rule geared at screwing over businesses that don't actually reside within the EU, so ~90% of the targeted businesses I'd guess
Please. What makes you think that businesses residing within the EU don't have to follow EU laws now? I'm also assuming that if the shoe were on the other foot, you'd be happy for EU companies not to comply with US law whilst operating there?
If the EU law forces a conflict with a law where the provider is based from the EU law essentially "screws over" the company because they have to follow the law of their operating country and/or violate EU law
So yes it does screw over non EU based companies since the law doesn't take into account what the rest of the world is currently doing. I though there might be treaties that also affect this so until it is actually passed as a law it is just speculation.
Apparently.
How does this gain them more money?
Apparently.
Yeah, what no earth are you talking about? Use some logic.
Last edited by SniperX on 10 Apr 2008 - 07:13
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