Ask.com Launches Privacy Controls

Ask.com has recently announced that its new product will be giving searchers on the web complete privacy by doing away completely with the retention of search history that connects to user's IP address. The product named as AskEraser will not retain their search history and they have the option of changing the privacy settings preferences at any time.

The company Ask.com is quoted as saying that their product, AskEraser, is the best solution for those who are seeking ways to protect their identity further than the usual levels. AskEraser provides a testament to the fact that they are serious about being open to the way the web is used. In pursuit of this, the company has even engaged in the discussion on how better they could serve the privacy needs of the public with dialogs from the Center for Democracy and Technology.

As of the present time, the company is the only provider of complete anonymity for their search engine category. They are also expecting to launch it worldwide by next year but for now they are planning to implement it in the U.S. and U.K. only, according to Ask.com .

This new innovative product probably arose from fears of the public that search engines can possibly draw up a personal profile of a person complete. This was highlighted when google was given the "Big Brother award" by google watch website for privacy international. This is not a sign that google has been involved in any kind of wrong practices, as it has not been selected by privacy international itself as a finalist. It has simply been nominated. This might have caused the unreasonable reaction of the public as a result of the perceived threat.

It is interesting to take note though, that while google can definitely identify the IP address and the search history of that particular unit, it does not have the capability to match it with the actual person who surfed the web at that time. The company didn't abuse its privacy policies as stated in its users agreement because it only records the impersonal number used to tag the computer with a particular IP address.