Search engines users disapprove of personal data being collected for search results or for targeted advertising, according to a Pew survey released on Friday that underscored the public's growing concern with Web privacy. The survey results come after Internet search company Google said in January it was simplifying its privacy policy and would pool data on users across its services, including YouTube and Gmail. Users cannot opt out of the new policy. The Pew Internet & American Life survey showed that 65 percent of users said it was a bad thing if a search engine collected information about searches and then used it to rank future search results. An even larger 73 percent said they would not be OK with a search engine keeping track of searches and personalizing future search results because it would be an invasion of privacy. Google Inc. is by far the most popular search engine. Yahoo Inc. trailed at 6 percent, the survey found. The survey was conducted from Jan. 20 to Feb. 19 among 2,253 adults age 18 and over.
