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Ixquick.com Search Engine Stops Recording IP Addresses 
By: Bill Hartzer 2009-01-28 Ixquick, a meta search engine who claims that their search results are more comprehensive and more accurate than many other search engines out there, has completely stopped... ...recording users IP addresses. This new policy further highlights their commitment to privacy. Privacy on the Internet is becoming more of a big deal, especially because many search engines are continuing to record your IP address so that your searches are more personalized. Search engines such as Google appear to be headed in this direction, saving your data so that they can personalize your search results, which they claim brings us better search results. 
While you are searching the internet, many search engines also register the time of your searches, the terms you used, the sites you visited and your IP address. In many cases this IP address makes it possible to trace the computer, and in turn the household, that carried out the search. Previously, the Ixquick search engine deleted the privacy details of its users within 48 hours. As of today - Data Protection Day 2009 - IP addresses are not recorded at all anymore. The technical need to store IP addresses for 48 hours - blocking automated use of Ixquicks servers - has been overcome by recent technological developments. Ixquick enhances your privacy by offering a secure connection using the https protocol which prevents eavesdropping on Ixquick users and expects to launch a so-called proxy service in the next few months that makes it possible to browse the Internet in full anonymity. 
According to Wikipedia, On August 4, 2006, AOL Research, headed by Dr. Abdur Chowdhury, released a compressed text file on one of its websites containing twenty million search keywords for over 650,000 users over a 3-month period, intended for research purposes. AOL pulled the file from public access by the 7th, but not before it had been mirrored and distributed on the Internet. While none of the AOL records on the file are personally identifiable per se, certain keywords contain personally identifiable information by means of the user typing in their own name (ego-searching), as well as their address, social security number or by other means. Each user is identified on this list by a unique sequential key, which enables the compilation of a users search history. The New York Times was able to locate an individual from the released and anonymized search records by cross referencing them with phonebooks or other public records. Consequently, the ethical implications of using this data for research are under debate. AOL acknowledged it was a mistake and removed the data, although the files can still be downloaded from mirror sites. Additionally, several searchable databases of the report also exist on the internet. Comments Tag: ixquick Add to  Del.icio.us |  Digg |  Reddit |  Furl Have a bookmark! -  About the Author: Bill Hartzer manages the Search Engine Marketing and Social Media Marketing team at Vizion Interactive, a leading search engine marketing, social media marketing, and web design firm based in the Dallas, Texas area. Hartzer recently joined Vizion Interactive, where his vast experience in the both search engine marketing and social media marketing bolster's Vizion Interactive's already robust search engine marketing and social media marketing offerings. |
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