Yahoo will retain data for 18 months.

• Position: WEB - Brief article

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Yahoo announced that it will begin retaining search-related data for 18 months rather than the 90 days it is currently storing the information. The Internet firm said its relatively short data retention policy was hampering its ability to compete with rivals; competitors (e.g., Google and Microsoft) retain similar data for considerably longer than 90 days.

In December 2008, Yahoo cut the amount of time it retains search logs to three months, largely in response to pressure from Europe's Article 29 Working Party, the European Union's (EU) data authorities. Google and Microsoft didn't follow suit, however, leaving Yahoo at a considerable disadvantage with regard to data access.

According to ClickZ, in January 2009, Yahoo's share of U.S. searches was 21%...