Google Rebuffs Feds on Search Requests

[kpete]

Google Rebuffs Feds on Search Requests By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Business Writer
19 minutes ago



SAN FRANCISCO - Google Inc. is rebuffing the Bush administration's demand for a peek at what millions of people have been looking up on the Internet's leading search engine — a request that underscores the potential for online databases to become tools for government surveillance.


Mountain View-based Google has refused to comply with a White House subpoena first issued last summer, prompting U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales this week to ask a federal judge in San Jose for an order to hand over the requested records.

The government wants a list all requests entered into Google's search engine during an unspecified single week — a breakdown that could conceivably span tens of millions of queries. In addition, it seeks 1 million randomly selected Web addresses from various Google databases.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060120/ap_on_hi_te/google_records

[nevergiveup]

1. This is getting scary.

[roguevalley]

2. let's take a look at what his barfy kids google.

[Generic Other]

3. Google cares more about my freedoms than my government

Amazing.

[Bluebear]

6. You said a mouthful nt

[LeftCoast]

4. Good for Google

This whole George Orwell thing is just going too far.

[LynnTheDem]

5. WELL DONE, GOOGLE! Standing against facshism & dictatorship.

HELLO AMERICA, wake the fuck up!!! The Germans didn't think it could happen to them, either.

[rumpel]

7. Yes, Go Google, shame on Yahoo for complying but at least they admit.

[Bluebear]

8. More from the article >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Google — whose motto when it went public in 2004 was "do no evil" — contends that submitting to the subpoena would represent a betrayal to its users, even if all personal information is stripped from the search terms sought by the government.......

Dixon is hoping Google's battle with the government reminds people to be careful how they interact with search engines.

"When you are looking at that blank search box, you should remember that what you fill can come back to haunt you unless you take precautions," she said.

[ClayZ]

9. "do no evil"

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.
- George Orwell




snip>
Google — whose motto when it went public in 2004 was "do no evil" — contends that submitting to the subpoena would represent a betrayal to its users, even if all personal information is stripped from the search terms sought by the government.

"Google's acceding to the request would suggest that it is willing to reveal information about those who use its services. This is not a perception that Google can accept," company attorney Ashok Ramani wrote in a letter included in the government's filing.
snip>

[TahitiNut]

10. It's a bit frightening that it's "news" when a company refuses.

Does that mean Yahoo! rolled over? Yahoo! Groups, news, email, and searches ... all open to the prurient interests of the most corrupt politicians in American history.

[BR_Parkway]

13. Don't forget about Yahoo's web beacons, they track alot more

info and pass it along

http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/beacons/details.html

[Swamp Rat]

11. Google resists breaking the law for Bushler.

:wow:

[madokie]

18. Good for them I use google for some reason, now I'm glad

[KeepItReal]

12. Can anyone say "Unwarranted Search"??

Fight em' Google!

[ohio_liberal]

14. Ethically responsible and just plain good business

Think how many people would stop using Google if the company were to comply with Gonzales' demands for information. They're not only fighting for the rights of their users but for themselves as a profit-driven company as well. :thumbsup:

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. The government is making a big deal that this is all about obtaining

evidence for child pornography downloads. If someone doesn't go out and explain the potential abuse of these warrants, the government is going to win.

[Bluebear]

16. kick

[sweetheart]

17. I wonder how this will turn in court

If the feds eventually press for a disclosure, were i the privacy officer of google,
i would have prepared all that data on a series of DVD's, with not a single copy or
trace of that data anywhere else in the company.

I would then leave the DVD's in a specially made THICk stainless steel lockbox,
waiting in the parking lot for the feds. THen when they came to get the box, i
would heat it up with a welding torch until it started to smoke and flame, wave
to the feds so they knew where their mound of flaming plastic was,
and say you'll NEVER get private data from google.

[madokie]

19. are we talking imagination here or what, Yes I agree

[sweetheart]

20. they could just say "no"

"rm -r *"
"format c:"
"fup dup $data5 $data3"


There are many commands for "just say no". Oh, sorry feds, we don't
keep that data, but you're welcome to look at our bit bucket.

Today's bit bucket had 300 trillion extra bits that you can have for *free* ! :-)