Can you see what I see?

Rob Hof, a writer for Business Week, recently posted a blog providing details on new software from Ask.com that will work to make our online searches private. While I feel the overwhelming need to share the articles with my classmates and fellow communications junkies - I also think it warrants a few thoughts.

When we think how evolving technology are changing the way we interact, communicate and do business - we rarely stop to think about how much we are truly 'putting ourselves out there.' If search engines are really able to take our frequent search information and sell it, or use it to shamefully promote their products we need to be more vigilant in distributing and making available our personal information.

Countless times I've been out with friends at a store, or mall, and the vendors ask for your phone number or e-mail address. WHY do we feel like we HAVE to share this information? Just because they ask, doesn't mean you HAVE to provide information.

Maybe being in the defense industry makes me extremely biased - but our personal information and our preferences are in fact, PRIVATE. Maybe, I've had too many friends that were victims of identity theft - but we must remember that in a world that is so connected and constantly communicating, that it's okay to NOT communicate some of our information!

So next time you drop a search into Google or your favorite engine - think about the article below and ensure your information and perferences are protected.

Erase Your Search Tracks
Posted by: Rob Hof on December 11

Most people probably don’t realize that their online searches are tracked by search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. With a new feature called AskEraser, Ask.com is hoping to give people control over the privacy of their online searches. It’s a real issue for some people, especially given the uproar that ensued last year when AOL let slip search data from 650,000 users, some of which got tied to specific individuals.

AskEraser, launching on Tuesday, will let people delete records of their future search queries from Ask.com’s servers. That includes the user’s IP address and the text of the search queries. However, search query info will continue to be sent to Google, which runs ads on Ask. (There’s much more detail at Search Engine Land.)

As search engine expert Danny Sullivan has noted, there are many other places your searches can be tracked, such as by your Internet service provider. But this is a positive move for people concerned with their privacy.

Assuming many people are. And that’s doubtful at this point, as even Ask CEO Jim Lanzone points out. “For most people, the issue doesn’t rise to the level of taking steps to protect their privacy,” says Lanzone. “I don’t believe the majority of people will use it.” One reason is that personalized features such as bookmarks won’t be available when AskEraser is turned on.

So why is Ask bothering with AskEraser? To gain an edge on rivals such as Google, which are perceived by some to be growing into a fearsome data repository? I asked him. Lanzone says this isn’t a competitive move, though I find that hard to believe. But in an era when it seems like our every move is tracked online, giving people a choice to opt out from an activity that inherently contains very personal and often sensitive information is at least a step in the right direction.