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Franco Frattini also gave the thumbs up to Google's plans to redesign its cookies and reduce their lifespan.

'It is good to see Google trying to meet our expectations,' he said.

Google said earlier this week that it would only store data from users' Web searches and other Internet activities that pass through its servers for 18 months.

'Retention of personal data was from the very beginning one concern of the European Commission,' Frattini told a press conference.

Google insists that while it shares Web usage statistics it never reveals private information to other businesses and organisations.