Ask.com has launched the AskEraser, a tool that deletes all future search queries and associated cookie information from Ask.com servers, including IP address, User ID, Session ID, and the complete text of their queries.

You will find the AskEraser link in the upper right corner of the Ask.com homepage and search results pages.

The AskEraser is implemented on Ask.com’s major search verticals: Web, Images, AskCity, News, Blogs, Video, and Maps & Directions - and can be turned “on” or “off” by the user.

The AskEraser FAQ adds that

“When AskEraser is enabled, all Ask.com cookies will be deleted from your browser, one cookie will be set to remember that you have AskEraser turned on, and going-forward, your search activity will be deleted from Ask.com servers. AskEraser will remain ‘on’ across multiple visits to the Ask.com site provided that you do not clear your Ask.com cookies and provided that you’re using the same computer and browser.”

“For people who worry about their online privacy, AskEraser now gives them control of their search information,” says Jim Lanzone, CEO of Ask.com. “AskEraser is simple, straightforward, and easy-to-use. It is an idea whose time has come.”

AskEraser is now available in the United States and in the United Kingdom ? and will be deployed globally in 2008.

User privacy as a competitive advantage

It interesting to see how seriously Ask is taking the privacy of user search data. They are, obviously, afraid of the bad publicity that would follow from a “scandal” in this area. Many consumer organizations have expressed concern about the search engine’s storage of search data.

Moreover, this is a proactive strategy that sets them apart from competitors like Google and Yahoo!

(more…)