Information saved by search firms is a greater threat to privacy than out-of-date account data maintained by telecommunication companies like Qwest, because analyzing a user’s queries over time can provide remarkable insight into the person’s thoughts, habits, and lifestyle. Misuse of search histories is a threat to privacy that has been getting significant media attention in the last year. The threat is often downplayed because most users don’t believe that anyone could or would reconstruct their search history—and even if someone did, many people suspect nothing personal would be revealed

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