Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Alexa on What's Related

Author:Dave Winer
Posted:3/18/1999; 4:20:54 PM
Topic:Microsoft on What's Related
Msg #:4261 (In response to 4257)
Prev/Next:4260 / 4262

From Brewster Kahle, brewster@alexa.com:

Microsoft's integration of Related Links does not pose any more threat to privacy than going to a webpage. User's click a button, and a request for information about that page shows up. It doesn't follow users, or even know who they are. It is really no different, from a privacy perspective, than the search sidebar. I think you should take a closer look.

Netscape's What's Related feature (which is most of the same data as Related Links) is different, and does require some disclosure because it may optionally refresh itself as the user changes pages, and record the trail into an anonymized database, which is used to improve the service. Netscape's What's Related FAQ discusses this feature in detail.

http://home.netscape.com/escapes/related/faq.html#12

The Alexa service also requires some disclosure for the same reason. When users update their Related Links sidebar to the full Alexa service, they are immediately taken to Alexa Tour which includes a very complete Privacy Policy. To briefly summarize the policy, Alexa does not collect any data from our users that qualifies as personally identifiable information. Our users are anonymous, their usage is anonymous, and their privacy is safe.

http://www.alexa.com/whatisalexa/privacy_policy.html

We do make a big deal about using lots of metadata, including these anonymous trails to make a better navigation tool. Breaking free of the search engine blues requires great metadata. In the long haul is with the cummulative implicit voting of large numbers of people that can help weed good stuff from spam.

Regarding Alexa the company, I'm surprised at your comment: "I have no faith that Alexa will keep their promise, there are all kinds of reasons for promises to be broken, such as an acquisition, change in management, or dishonesty on the part of current management."

Besides the fact that Alexa does not have any personally identifiable information regarding its users, we are members of TRUSTe and have everything to lose and absolutely nothing to gain by breaching our user's trust. I can appreciate a healthy skeptism, but this seems a stretch. I wonder how you feel about your telephone company, your ISP and your cable TV provider... they actually "know where you live".

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