Search Engines Improve Privacy Policies

Search engines are beginning to take user privacy more seriously, but stronger federal privacy legislation is still necessary, a new study says. In the online marketplace, privacy policies have become competitive factors, with sites one-upping each other to make surfers feel that they're safe and have control over their personal info, says the report by a prominent advocacy group.

Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo have changed their policies on how long they keep information that ties users to search queries, and Ask.com allows searchers to opt out of information retention altogether, PC World reports. But critics charge that modest competition between engines will never be enough to address privacy threats. (More search engine stories.)