In mid December, Ask released their AskEraser feature. This feature gives searchers the ability to search anonymously. This feature is available across many of Ask.com’s properties including Web search, image search, Ask City, news search, blog search, video search and maps and directions.

When you turn on the AskEraser, Ask will automatically stop tracking your search queries and cookie information, which includes IP address, User ID, Session ID, etc.

The image below shows you how AskEraser can be turned on:

Simply click on AskEraser and you will be prompted with another screen that will ask you if you want to turn AskEraser on.

This feature is great for those who have ever been worried about their online privacy. In all actuality, Ask implemented this AskEraser in response to users’ concerns about privacy. However, this AskEraser will only work for future searches and is not retroactive. So if you search for something and then turn on the Ask Eraser after that search, that query will stay in Ask’s servers for 18 months, but all future searches will not be stored.

Ask.com has been proactive in addressing the emerging privacy trends in the search industry. My next thought is how long will it be before other search engines follow suit?

For more on AskEraser, check out AskEraser FAQ’s: http://sp.ask.com/en/docs/about/askeraser.shtml.