Saves you a cache-clear

Ask.com has developed a feature that permits users to delete the data stored on their search queries.

The offering is positioned as an effort to protect personal privacy.

Web surfers can access the feature through a link marked AskEraser, which will appear on the homepage and on search results pages. The feature can be turned on or off.

When on, AskEraser deletes search queries and related information linked to a user's cookies. This means Ask.com will not store any search activity related to the person.

"We take significant steps to protect any data that's stored in our servers, but for those people who want to take extra precautions, AskEraser let them take the issue completely off the table," said CEO Jim Lanzone in an interview with Reuters.

AskEraser is available today for US and UK users. Ask.com expects to expand it globally in 2008.