Ask.com Addresses Privacy Worries

No. 5 search engine says it will erase info within hours
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 11, 2007 11:34 AM CST
Ask.com Addresses Privacy Worries
Japanese university computer students from schools in Tokyo pose for pictures as they tour around Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., in this April 19, 2007 file photo. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, file)   (Associated Press)

Aiming to establish itself as an innovator, Ask.com is allowing users to have their search requests deleted within hours, the AP reports. The fifth-most-popular search engine with just 3% market share, Ask.com is taking a huge leap toward being the web’s least intrusive search option. "We definitely want to stand out from the other guys," says a senior VP.

Google, which boasts 55% market share, saves personal info for 18 months, and Yahoo (19%), Microsoft (14%), and AOL (4%) store data for over a year. AskEraser, which launches today, flies in the face of rivals’ claims that they need to hold on to requests to better know their and improve targeting of ads. (More Google stories.)

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