Google, Bush, and Privacy

[Scooter24]

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/index.php?p=2805

Google, Bush, and Privacy

1/20/2006

Yesterday it was revealed that AOL, Microsoft and Yahoo! complied with Justice Department subpoenas to turn over search data. Google has made a very high profile statement that it will not. Here’s more coverage of the issue in the NY Times.

Yahoo! spokespeople said none of the information revealed individual identities and thus did not violate individual privacy rights. The government claims—although given the history of this administration any claims must be viewed with skepticism at a minimum—that the search-engine data will enable it to defend the Child Online Protection Act of 1998 (which the U.S. Supreme Court perviously blocked from implementation).

...

There’s a bigger picture and a bigger struggle here. The government wants unfettered access to desired information about individuals’ behavior online and off and the NSA wiretapping and spying is reflective of that intent. As the NY Times piece points out:

Whatever the courts ultimately decide on the pornography law at issue, however, Tim Wu, a professor at Columbia Law School, said the Google case pointed to a larger struggle for the identity of the Internet.

“Search engines are at the center of that battle, both here and in other countries,” said Professor Wu. “By asserting its power over search engines, using threats of force, the government can directly affect what the Internet experience is. For while Google is fighting the subpoena, it’s clear that if they lose, they will comply.”

..


The now discredited "Total Information Awareness" (TIA) initiative is being revived piecemeal through myriad techniques (search-engine subpoenas among them) and under myriad guises (Patriot Act, COPA, etc.).

As Epic points out, the TIA “was as envisioned to give law enforcement access to private data without suspicion of wrongdoing or a warrant.”

(more)

[liberalmike27]

1. Freedom

Maybe freedom is just nothing left to lose. All I know is I'm feeling a lot less of it these days.

This is just another sad step toward treating us all as criminals. I can imagine innocent Germans feeling this way in the thirties. A government run-amock, and no real opposition party. Truly, one doesn't know what to believe.

I wish we could all judge from feelings rather than what they tell us on television. I started sensing long ago that the media was neither liberal or the ordinary Joe's friend. I feel good about one thing though; it would seem increasing numbers are waking up to that fact each day. So hopefully we can stop allowing them to choose the candidates and eventual winner in our elections. Like I've always said, if they are roasting someone like they did Dean (or McCain for the other side) we should run straight for them and vote like crazy.

[mom cat]

2. The claim that they did not reveal individual identities is bogus.

Why would they do such a search "to protect children" if individual identities were not an issue. Besides, What kind of a fishing expedition were they doing anyway?

[Deja Q]

3. Hmmm

If COPA is being used for all this, then they have to stick to child porn issues - that is VERY fair, and Yahoo's point is correct, if it's true they kept personal information hidden.

Still, kiddie porn websites are a true abomination. I have no qualms on that.

[DrDebug]

4. What I found interested is that they didn't target the sex search engines

Because it is just an excuse. First all. It is weird that google, yahoo et al. don't have a clear statement against child pornography or a place to report it and the specialized engines do, but this statement is even weirder:

AskJolene, the biggest sex search engine, has a reporting system which includes child pornography, but also malware, viruses, dailers etc.

About The Blacklist

AskJolene.com uses automatic filters to detect galleries that contain dialers, spyware or virusses. Galleries reported by AskJolene visitors are checked manually. These problems (dialers, spyware, etc.) are not just limited to AskJolene's database; it is a world-wide problem, especially for TGP's and other gallery lists on the internet.

To counter these problems, I use a list of hosts that contain infected galleries. All hosts in my list have been permanently banned from the AskJolene database. I update this list on a daily basis. TGP's, other webmasters, or anyone else who might have an interest in my blacklist are free to contact me at [e-mail].

http://www.askjolene.com/about/webmasters/blacklist.php

I mean duh? Anyone interested can make a request to get a daily updated list of dubious sexsites? Why bother going through 1,000,000 searches when you get a list of weird sites handed to you for free??