Brussels, 11/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission, on Thursday 11 September, welcomed the announcement by Google that it was halving the length of time it retained Web user data. “This is a big step in the right direction,” said Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Jacques Barrot. Google has complied with EU demands and reduced from 18 to 9 months the length of time it will hold information and personal data (history, IP addresses, etc.) on users before “anonymizing” them (see EUROPE 9737). Barrot said that this change chimed with European principles of privacy law and European data protection rules. He pointed out, however, that the current recommended target for data retention is six months. The Commissioner said he attached “special significance” to Google's newly introduced policy of informing its users about its privacy policy “in a transparent, easily understood manner”. (B.C./transl.rt)