The Norwegian Data Inspectorate is overseeing Google as part of a larger investigation of Norwegian search engines. Sesam and Kvasir have already been visited by the institution. The Directorate is concerned about the amount of data stored by the search engines.

The Data Inspectorate (Datatilsynet) is an independent administrative body under the Norwegian Ministry of Labour and Government Administration, and is to protect persons from violation of their right to privacy through the processing of personal data.

“Why do the search engine store the IP addresses [of searchers] for so long and are they using them for?” Senior Engineer Atle Årnes of the Inspectorate asks in the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten.

“Even if the search engines cannot identify the person behind every IP address, people do leave behind their names and other personal information that make it possible to track who they are,” he continues.

Google’s privacy expert Peter Fleischer has come to Oslo to meet the Directorate.

He says to Aftenposten that Google does not know the persons behind the IP numbers, and that the company is not willing to give such information to others. The only exception, according to Fleischer, are court orders or rulings in countries with a trustworthy judicial system.

The advent of the social web has made privacy an even more important issue, and Fleischer stresses the importance of being mindful of what kind of information you publish on such web sites.

When asked by Aftenposten about the possibility of Google being hacked and logs being stolen by criminals, Fleischer replies:

“We have of course extensive security arrangements in place to prevent internal as well as external attacks. We also have routines to ensure a swift response if something should happen. Still, no one can guarantee 100 percent that this will never happen.”

An extended version of the Aftenposten article is published in Norwegian on the business portal E24.. Note that the quotes by Fleischer are translated from the Norwegian text.