Search Engine Privacy Standard Proposed To Protect Users

With recent data leaks at AOL, governments seeking information from Google on its users, and no simple user privacy solutions available, a standard for empowering user search privacy has finally been proposed. PoundPrivacy.org is spearheading a search privacy revolution with its proposed #privacy standard.

Our proposal is that the #privacy flag could be added to the end of searches by users to tell the search engine ‘don’t track this query.’ In response, the search engine should not track the user by IP address or cookie, and the query should not be made public in keyword tools. The website carefully addresses the one exception to this capability – queries in which a crime is likely being committed (like the solicitation of child pornography) should be excluded from the #privacy flag.

PoundPrivacy.org contains an open letter addressed to the major four search engines – Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and Ask – requesting that they adopt the #privacy standard. Additionally, the site offers ideas on ways individuals who agree with the standard can support the campaign, including blogging about it, linking to poundprivacy.org, and sending out emails to friends.

For more information about the www.PoundPrivacy.org website or campaign, visit http://www.poundprivacy.org, contact Bob Misita at (919) 459-2833.

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