What is public and private data when it comes to our online lives? How much information should your search engine be able to record about you?

Following a recent European Parliament hearing on online data protection, specific questions on Internet Protocol (IP) addresses have been raised.

According to the head of the E.U.'s group of data privacy regulators, IP addresses should be regarded as personal information, a move which would have consequences for how some search engines record data.

On the other side of the debate, Google contends that an IP address serves as an indicator of the location of the computer, not on the identity of the individual. The search giant saves IP addresses in order to improve web users' search quality by pinpointing users' locations - a method which does not violate an individuals privacy, Google reportedly says.

Read the full news report and decide for yourself.