Yahoo puts "stake in the ground" over data retention

 

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By Reuters

Posted on 17 Dec 2008 at 11:41

Yahoo will cut its data-retention policy down to three months, as it seeks to score points over its rivals.

The company says it will now "anonymise" the information it holds on its users within three months of collection, down from the 13 months it used to hold it for.

The company says it is reserving the right to keep data for up to six months if fraud or system security are involved.

Internet search companies have come under pressure from European data protection officials to do more to protect the privacy of users.

Earlier this year, Google halved the amount of time it stores personal data to nine months, while Microsoft says it will cut the time to six months if its rivals dod the same.

Industry analysts welcomed the move: "Google first went to 18 months and started this competition," says Ari Schwartz, vice president at the Center for Democracy and Technology, a privacy advocacy group.

Yahoo's pledge "is more significant because it is getting rid of some data after 90 days and it actually has an implementation plan to get this done."

The EU has recommended that companies keep data no more than six months and urged the sector to adopt an industry-wide standard.

"This was our attempt to put a stake in the ground on the issue", says Yahoo vice president of policy and privacy chief Anne Toth.