Search Engine Ditches All Log Files
from the searching-blind dept
There's been a silly, and mostly meaningless, one-upmanship lately in the search engine world, concerning how long the search engines retain log file info on things like the IP address of searchers. Some privacy advocates have claimed that this is a big privacy issue, though the "threat" is significantly overblown. However, it's still interesting to see a Dutch meta-search engine now announce that it's ignoring IP addresses entirely. The site, Ixquick, which has always promoted itself as being privacy friendly, used to dump log files after 48 hours, but is now ditching them completely. That's great, as an option, but it hardly means that others should do the same. It gives ixquick a way to differentiate itself in the market -- and those who really are worried about their IP addresses being watched (and haven't figured out how to use an IP-anonymizing service yet) can go use that search engine. But for those who actually find benefits in sharing some data with their search engine of choice, they should be free to do so.![Hide This Hide this](https://ii.techdirt.com/s/t/i/topclose.png)
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Filed Under: log files, privacy, search engine
Companies: ixquick
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Google
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Meta Search without Google
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open market
latly people are expecting it the other way around they expect the service to be crafted to them instead of picking the service best suited to their needs
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It seems a little contradictary...
How is it that tracking IP addresses is both a "privacy issue" and not a valid way to tracking child porn downloaders? Aren't those two ideas in direct contradiction?
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What I would like to see you publish here is a how to of how to protect our IP addresses. You illuded to it briefly.
Been reading a great deal about digital security through http://www.justaskgemalto.com and wondering if you might expand on what they mention just to round out the information field. Thx.
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Re: @ Ron (comment 7)
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Re: It seems a little contradictary...
Search engine log files are like surveillance pictures showing you walking into a adult bookstore and coming out with a brown paper shopping bag -- not enough to prove you are a criminal, nor to convict in a court of law, but plenty to convince your neighbors and congregation you are an evil pervert who ought to be run out of town, "for the children!"
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Having read too much techdirt I instantly recognized a story that was going to criticize some non-American effort as compared to american.
"...though the "threat" is significantly overblown." continuing with the standard trick of quoting "facts" on the assumption that anything the Masnicks say is instantly fact.
"...and those who really are worried about their IP addresses being watched (and haven't figured out how to use an IP-anonymizing service yet)..."
Ignoring the fact that such services are horribly slow and degrade the internet experience whereas Ixquick doesn't
.... typical techdirt nonsense.
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Anonymous web surfing
-Gerald Weber
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Re: Anonymous web surfing
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How to anonymise?
i am one of these people... does anyone have any recommendations as to a easy and effective manner of doing this without throttling your speeds?
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online spying
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