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Internet fraud lawyers assisted by Microsoft crackdown

Published on 20 Jan 2010 under category: legal

Internet search histories will be deleted after six months rather than 18 months in a bid to crack down on online fraud, Microsoft has confirmed.

The company is responding to EU regulator pressure on all search engines to reduce the amount of time that internet protocol addresses are stored.

Google consented to storing search queries for only nine months last September, but has said that further restrictions would hamper efforts to reach users. Yahoo has kept IP addresses for only three months since 2008.

In their blog, Microsoft said: "Studying trends in search queries enables us to improve the quality of our results, protect against fraud and maintain a secure and viable business.

"But consumer privacy can and must be preserved. For our part, Microsoft continues to examine our practices to ensure we strike the right balance and achieving both goals."

IP address information enables fraudsters to create spoof websites and engage in 'click fraud' where a computer program is used to repeatedly click on an advertisement to generate money for the advertiser.

If you require advice on Corporate Fraud please call us on +44 (020) 7831 0101 and ask for Dan Hyde.