Fading data could improve privacy
Privacy could be enhanced if data was allowed to fade, suggests research. Dutch researcher Dr Harold van Heerde is looking into ways to gradually "degrade" the information that sites gather about visitors.
Slowly swapping details for more general information can help guard against accidental disclosure, he said. "There are so many weak points in security that you can never be sure that your data is safe," said Dr van Heerde.
The research project carried out by Dr van Heerde from the Centre for Telematics and Information Technology (CTIT) at the University of Twente looked into ways to change the way databases manage information about users and customers. The ability of those databases to gather information tempts companies and organisations to hoard information just in case it proves valuable, Dr van Heerde told BBC News.
