Posted on 01/19/2006 10:36:33 AM PST by flashbunny
The Bush administration, seeking to revive an online pornography law struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, has subpoenaed Google Inc. for details on what its users have been looking for through its popular search engine.
Google has refused to comply with the subpoena, issued last year, for a broad range of material from its databases, including a request for 1 million random Web addresses and records of all Google searches from any one-week period, lawyers for the U.S. Justice Department said in papers filed Wednesday in federal court in San Jose.
Privacy advocates have been increasingly scrutinizing Google's practices as the company expands its offerings to include e-mail, driving directions, photo-sharing, instant messaging and Web journals.
Although Google pledges to protect personal information, the company's privacy policy says it complies with legal and government requests. Google also has no stated guidelines on how long it keeps data, leading critics to warn that retention is potentially forever given cheap storage costs.
The government contends it needs the data to determine how often pornography shows up in online searches as part of an effort to revive an Internet child protection law that was struck down two years ago by the U.S. Supreme Court on free-speech grounds.
The 1998 Child Online Protection Act would have required adults to use access codes or other ways of registering before they could see objectionable material online, and it would have punished violators with fines up to $50,000 or jail time. The high court ruled that technology such as filtering software may better protect children.
The matter is now before a federal court in Pennsylvania, and the government wants the Google data to help argue that the law is more effective than software in protecting children from porn.
The Mountain View-based company told The San Jose Mercury News that it opposes releasing the information because it would violate the privacy rights of its users and would reveal company trade secrets.
Nicole Wong, an associate general counsel for Google, said the company will fight the government's efforts "vigorously."
"Google is not a party to this lawsuit, and the demand for the information is overreaching," Wong said.
Not even a discretionary gift, eternal frivolity.
Nice, now tell me about "American Online." I'm waiting.
SALE = YOUR INVENTION
Sale or gift; still holds if it is discretionary.
AMERICAN ONLINE = YOUR INVENTION
Thinking of different ways to beg the same falsehood. How creative of you!
Or even if Google may give it by its own discretionary choice. And how about that American Online falsehood of yours, buddy?
You have the cite, anal question beggar.
Again:
"Yahoo, Microsoft and America Online all complied with a government request for data on consumers' Web searches, a Justice Department official said Thursday."
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/13665364.htm
You are certainly the specialist in anal. I cede the crown to you.
Microsoft, check.
America Online, check.
American Online... waiting, waiting, waiting...
porn tax
Quite. Search engines also release information in investigations.
I hate to say it, but Scalia, Roberts and Alito will also loose their rationality when it comes to anything they consider moral vice.
Yep. You went down in flames.
Freudian slip.
They may so choose. Google has chosen not to. Google will win -- especially since, as the goober-mint has gotten data from other sources, the goober-mint doesn't need Google now anyhow.
No, but your pants are still burning.
America Online, yes.
American Online, your invention.
Time they stopped or people change services.
If MSN hoped to take business from Google, that isn't the way to do it.
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