Checking Search Engine Privacy


Tutorial Home >Internet >Basics >Protecting Yourself Online >How do I view Yahoo's! privacy policy?
Tutorial Home >Internet >Security >Protecting Yourself Online >How do I view Yahoo's! privacy policy?
Tutorial Home >Internet >Shopping >Protecting Yourself Online >How do I view Yahoo's! privacy policy?
Tutorial Home >Internet >Basics >Protecting Yourself Online >Checking Privacy Policies >Checking Search Engine Privacy
Tutorial Home >Internet >Security >Protecting Yourself Online >Checking Privacy Policies >Checking Search Engine Privacy
Tutorial Home >Internet >Shopping >Protecting Yourself Online >Checking Privacy Policies >Checking Search Engine Privacy

  Step 1:  Look for Privacy Policy

Open a Report
Search engines make much of their living from advertising. They draw you to their sites by offering good content. By knowing who you are, they can more easily sell advertising that is appropriate for you. To find out who you are, search sites such as Yahoo!, Excite, and Lycos will ask you to become a member. In the process, they'll ask you personal questions and offer you free stuff. Before signing up with a search engine, follow these steps to understand how you can protect your privacy.
  Step 2:  Viewing Yahoo!'s Policy

Open a Report
As with shopping sites, most reputable search engines will have a privacy policy you can view before you give them any information. Sites such as Yahoo!, Excite, and Lycos are all TRUSTe certified. From the Yahoo! home page (http://www.yahoo.com), click on the "Privacy Policy" link.
  Step 3:  Reviewing Yahoo!'s Policy

Open a Report
Because Yahoo! is a TRUSTe-certified site, its privacy policy answers a standard set of questions about how your data is used. Yahoo! learns the most about who you are when you sign in. From sign-up information, Yahoo! can know your name, email address, birth date, gender, zip code, occupation, industry, and interests. Yahoo! only shares personal data with other businesses if it has warned you. So, read disclosure statements when you sign in or enter a sweepstakes.
  Step 4:  Viewing Excite's Policy

Open a Report
From the Excite home page (http://www.excite.com), click on the Privacy Statement link. The Excite Privacy Policy page appears.
  Step 5:  Reviewing Excite's Policy

Open a Report
Like Yahoo!, Excite is a TRUSTe-certified site and offers similar privacy information. In the process of offering you personalized home pages, email, and chats, the Excite site gathers information about you and your interests. Look at the "How the information is used" heading for descriptions of what advertisers can find out about you. Most data released to advertisers tells them about the people who visit the site (such as their interests), but not specifically who has visited.