Google's decision to scale back how long it keeps personally identifiable data accumulated from its Web users is "a good step", the European Union's top security official said today.
The world's top provider of Web search services said late on Monday it was ready to curtail the time it stored user data to a year and a half, seeking to mollify an EU watchdog that has questioned its privacy policies.
That was the low end of an 18 to 24 month period it had originally proposed to regulators in March. "I think it is indeed a good step," EU Justice and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini told a news conference in Luxembourg. "I appreciate the commitment of Google."