security

Google is taking an important step toward “protecting your privacy” by “anonymizing [their] server logs after 18-24 months”.

Anonymizing the logs, Google defines it as,

We will change some of the bits in the IP address in the logs as well as change the cookie information. We’re still developing the precise technical methods and approach to this, but we believe these changes will be a significant addition to protecting user privacy.

It’s interesting to know that Google doesn’t delete the logs at the end of the expiration date, just as they keep your emails even if you deleted it (I read it somewhere):

At the end of the expiration date we will still keep server logs but they will be anonymized.

You can learn more about this new, upcoming privacy policy on the Official Google Blog or download the log retention FAQ (PDF). Hopefully Google will do what it says and keep my data safe. Not as, err, you-know-who.