Yahoo says it will now keep data for 18 months, matching Google.
Yahoo plans to extend the amount of time it retains records on what its users search for online, less than two and a half years after breaking from the other big Internet search engines and promising to delete such data promptly.
The new policy brings the company in line with Google Inc., which dominates the industry and failed to follow Yahoo Inc.’s lead when it shortened the amount of time that it keeps online search records to 90 days in most cases.
Beginning this summer, after notifying customers, Yahoo will join Google in keeping search logs for 18 months.
Yahoo said it will consider keeping other types of information about its users for longer durations, too.
The company’s announcement comes amid mounting unease about the vast amounts of personal information that companies are scooping up online — including Internet search records, Web surfing habits, pages views and ad clicks. That information is used to personalize Web content and target online advertising.