Google CEO Eric Schmidt asserts here that the company's customers need not fear an incident similar to AOL's accidental release of search histories for more than 650,000 users.

Not only does Google have procedures and controls designed to prevent such a data leak, Schmidt assures us, the search giant doesn't use or release personal demographic information without permission.

That's all very comforting, but I still would recommend you read this primer on CNET News.com about protecting yourself from search engines. It contains some interesting information. For example:

No law requires search companies to delete your search terms, and there are some business justifications for keeping them around at least a little while.

The article steers readers toward a search engine that doesn't store user search records. Based in the Netherlands, Ixquick.com also boasts of providing the world's most powerful metasearch.

For those who prefer their usual brand of search engine, the article offers sensible cookie maintenance and awareness advice. Although, for some reason, the author details cookie removal steps for Firefox, but not Internet Explorer, which has more than 80 percent market share.

Here's how you adjust the cookie settings on IE: Go to Tools in the pulldown menu, then choose Internet Options and then Privacy. You'll see a security slider for cookies, with settings ranging from "accept all cookies" to "block all cookies." As with Firefox, you also can elect to block cookies from specific sites.