Internet search service provider biggies - Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, have been practicing user search data collection which has sparked user privacy controversy. On the other hand, search engines advocate using user data for further search innovations. Google had recently released a list of popular searches called "Zeitgeist" for many countries including India.

These search engine majors have been storing users' search history for further innovations and also as a part of the business model. By placing localized ads, the search engines give opportunities to local traders and also inflate their advertising revenue figures. These search engines have reportedly reduced the period of storing user search database that has personally-identifiable information.

Search engine majors claim to mask or delete the user-specific information like masking the IP addresses. Usually, like a Yahoo is to reduce the period of keeping user search database from 13 months to 90-days while Google agreed to keep user data till nine months instead of 18 months earlier. Microsoft stores user search information for 18 months.

Google and Yahoo block the last three digits of IP addresses while Microsoft deletes the entire IP address (how nice of them). However, merely reducing the user data storage period and masking IP addresses won't help. Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, argues, "Removing the last three digits of the last octet is like taking the last digit or two off a phone number. It's the preceding digits that give you the most information."

In 2006, AOL goofed up by releasing 20 million web search details of about 650,000 users, 'accidentally'. Privacy advocates argue that not just personal embarrassments are at stake but also merger deals between two companies could be compromised.

Are the users really concerned about their privacy? Users are carelessly feeding personal information which isn't under full-proof security and they don't realize that. The controversial question still remains: Should search engines like Google store your search data?