As part of an evaluation of Microsoft’s Internet search privacy practices, Microsoft announced an important change in their data retention policy. Microsoft will delete the entire IPs associated with search queries at six months rather than at eighteen months. This change will be incorporated into the existing privacy practices, which already provide strong protections for Bing users.
This change is the result of a number of factors including a continuing evaluation of the business needs, the current competitive landscape and ongoing dialogue with privacy advocates, consumer groups, and regulators – including the Article 29 Working Party, the group of 27 European national data protection regulators charged with providing advice to the European Commission and other EU institutions on data protection.
Under current policy, as soon as Microsoft receives a Bing search query, steps are taken to de-identify the data by separating it from account information that could identify the person who performed the search. Then, at 18 months, additional step of deleting the IP address will be taken, the de-identified cookie ID and any other cross-session IDs associated with the query.
The core components of this policy will not change. The new policy will change the date at which we delete the IP address associated with search queries to six months. New policy will be implemented over the next 12 to 18 months.
There are many good reasons to retain and review search data. Studying trends in search queries improves the quality of the results, protect against fraud and maintain a secure and viable business. But consumer privacy can and must be preserved. Microsoft continues to examine our practices to ensure we strike the right balance and achieving both goals.
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