Search engines: What do they know about you?

CNET Online News has an interesting survey of the big dogs in online search, asking Microsoft, Yahoo!, Google and AOL the same seven questions. The responses are interesting, varying from full disclosure to non-answers. Here's an example:

Do you ever anticipate offering search engine users a way to delete [search] data?

Weinstein [AOL]: We already do. :)

Langdon [Google]: We have no plans to announce such a product. However, users can use Google without a cookie.

Sohn [Microsoft]: Some customers have expressed interest in MSN providing users more options regarding the types of data that MSN stores from their search sessions and the length of time that we store it. We are currently looking at ways that we might do that, but we do not yet have any firm plans.

Mary Osako [Yahoo!]: We are always considering new ways to improve the user experience while preserving the high level of trust people have in us.

Link (via Digg)