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Should Google be forced to hand over data?

Google's refusal to comply with a request by federal prosecutors for some of its search data has embroiled the company in a heated debate over online privacy. As part of an investigation into the Child Online Protection Act, the government requested search terms and URLs from four major search engines. Google was the only one to refuse, and a federal judge today said he would likely support the Justice Department in its demands. The DOJ has drastically reduced the amount of information it's asking for and has agreed to compensate Google for the time its developers spend on the project. But the company says the government has other options for obtaining search data and that asking for search keywords infringes on user privacy. Should Google be compelled to give up its search-term data?

18 comments

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The answer--> NO
While I absolutely detest child pornography, giving up our human rights in the "attempt" to research it is TOTALLY WRONG. Why don't these researchers just go on the Internet themselves and do their own research?

More and more there is is subtle blending of church % state and America seems to be asleep to it. We are having our rights taken away almost on a daily basis (Patriot Act, wiretapping, presidential archives being permanently closed, etc).

As Robert Redford has said, "Wake up, folks, because you could end up in a totalitarian nightmare, wondering what happened to your country."
Posted by Aquilonious (5 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Resistance
"Government is dissolved when the legislative violates the trust placed in it by citizens. The community chooses a government to make decisions and enforce law; that is, the government or legislative is entrusted to act in the best interests of the community. When this trust is violated, the government is dissolved and the people earn a right to resist further governmental efforts to exert its power."

-John Locke
Posted by dave aszenine (16 comments )
Link Flag
The answer--> NO
While I absolutely detest child pornography, giving up our human rights in the "attempt" to research it is TOTALLY WRONG. Why don't these researchers just go on the Internet themselves and do their own research?

More and more there is is subtle blending of church % state and America seems to be asleep to it. We are having our rights taken away almost on a daily basis (Patriot Act, wiretapping, presidential archives being permanently closed, etc).

As Robert Redford has said, "Wake up, folks, because you could end up in a totalitarian nightmare, wondering what happened to your country."
Posted by Aquilonious (5 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Resistance
"Government is dissolved when the legislative violates the trust placed in it by citizens. The community chooses a government to make decisions and enforce law; that is, the government or legislative is entrusted to act in the best interests of the community. When this trust is violated, the government is dissolved and the people earn a right to resist further governmental efforts to exert its power."

-John Locke
Posted by dave aszenine (16 comments )
Link Flag
Heck no.
Why don't they go and collect their own data? Are they too lazy to even do that? Sheesh - they're probably being paid by Microsoft to go collect information. Can't we just accept how big Google is getting and get over it? There are so many BABIES out there thinking they're all going to kill us.

You get ads and spyware from visiting msn.com for heaven's sake, not google.
Posted by jackharvest (18 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Heck no.
Why don't they go and collect their own data? Are they too lazy to even do that? Sheesh - they're probably being paid by Microsoft to go collect information. Can't we just accept how big Google is getting and get over it? There are so many BABIES out there thinking they're all going to kill us.

You get ads and spyware from visiting msn.com for heaven's sake, not google.
Posted by jackharvest (18 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Google Data
Of course not - we are being stripped of our privacy in the name of "Homeland Secuity".
Posted by webwilly1 (2 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Google Data
Of course not - we are being stripped of our privacy in the name of "Homeland Secuity".
Posted by webwilly1 (2 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Well, well
I'm actually surprised that this doesn't have a longer discussion thread than it does. Perhaps people don't care anymore? A local talk station was on this very subject today and a lot of people called in saying they didn't mind because terrorists may be out there searching for websites. People seem to rationalize something like this by immediately invoking 9/11. People who give up freedom for security deserve neither - well, that's the way we're headed at this point. The radio host warned that this is a slippery slope. If they find a popular search for something they don't like, then they are definitely going to be interested in who is searching that... back to courts, starting surveillance, etc... I agreed with the host that any concession on this is putting a wedge in the doorway to erosion of privacy and rights.
Posted by 04Outlander (16 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Well, it's more like...
I think the public by large does care, but feels absolutely powerless to do anything about it. The goervenment is this big and power entity, and we're just the little guys... It's David vs. Goliath, but the people en masse don't have David's courage. I find it odd that anyone, not you, but the people you spoke about, would bring 9/11 into this, this has nothing to do with 9/11 or anything to do with child porn, either, the media keeps misrepresenting that, the Google case is about privacy and Google's rights to keep their business practices to themselves, and this case about to go before judges in PA this fall is about COPA, which is about keeping things off the internet that a child should see.. who gets to amke that decision of what achild shouldn't be able to see by accident? Well, that's one reason why its unconstitutional. But if the PA judge is anything like this judge in this case, we're looking at an all out censor of the entire internet by the end of this year...

So long internet, it was fun while it lasted...
Posted by MisterFlibble (190 comments )
Link Flag
Well, well
I'm actually surprised that this doesn't have a longer discussion thread than it does. Perhaps people don't care anymore? A local talk station was on this very subject today and a lot of people called in saying they didn't mind because terrorists may be out there searching for websites. People seem to rationalize something like this by immediately invoking 9/11. People who give up freedom for security deserve neither - well, that's the way we're headed at this point. The radio host warned that this is a slippery slope. If they find a popular search for something they don't like, then they are definitely going to be interested in who is searching that... back to courts, starting surveillance, etc... I agreed with the host that any concession on this is putting a wedge in the doorway to erosion of privacy and rights.
Posted by 04Outlander (16 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Well, it's more like...
I think the public by large does care, but feels absolutely powerless to do anything about it. The goervenment is this big and power entity, and we're just the little guys... It's David vs. Goliath, but the people en masse don't have David's courage. I find it odd that anyone, not you, but the people you spoke about, would bring 9/11 into this, this has nothing to do with 9/11 or anything to do with child porn, either, the media keeps misrepresenting that, the Google case is about privacy and Google's rights to keep their business practices to themselves, and this case about to go before judges in PA this fall is about COPA, which is about keeping things off the internet that a child should see.. who gets to amke that decision of what achild shouldn't be able to see by accident? Well, that's one reason why its unconstitutional. But if the PA judge is anything like this judge in this case, we're looking at an all out censor of the entire internet by the end of this year...

So long internet, it was fun while it lasted...
Posted by MisterFlibble (190 comments )
Link Flag
Coincidence?
It is an interesting coincidence that the news headlines are all
about a child pornography ring. It seems all to clear the Bush
administration is creating a lot od "noise" around this , like they
used 9/11, anthrax and every other scare-tactic, to get the
American people to do their bidding. If we allow ourselves to fall
prey to this scheme like we have so willing fallen into line on the
falacious 911 / Iraq connection - we are heade toward the
totalitarian regime the right wing is seeking. Three cheers for
Google for resisting. Shame on Yahoo for capitulating so easily.
Posted by tverhaar (4 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Coincidence?
It is an interesting coincidence that the news headlines are all
about a child pornography ring. It seems all to clear the Bush
administration is creating a lot od "noise" around this , like they
used 9/11, anthrax and every other scare-tactic, to get the
American people to do their bidding. If we allow ourselves to fall
prey to this scheme like we have so willing fallen into line on the
falacious 911 / Iraq connection - we are heade toward the
totalitarian regime the right wing is seeking. Three cheers for
Google for resisting. Shame on Yahoo for capitulating so easily.
Posted by tverhaar (4 comments )
Reply Link Flag
GOOLE HANDING OVER GMAIL
NO THEY SHOULD NOT
Posted by watfulscott (4 comments )
Reply Link Flag
GOOLE HANDING OVER GMAIL
NO THEY SHOULD NOT
Posted by watfulscott (4 comments )
Reply Link Flag
GOOGLE HANDING OVER GMAIL
NO THEY SHOULD NOT HAND OVER ANY PERSONL MAIL
Posted by watfulscott (4 comments )
Reply Link Flag
GOOGLE HANDING OVER GMAIL
NO THEY SHOULD NOT HAND OVER ANY PERSONL MAIL
Posted by watfulscott (4 comments )
Reply Link Flag
 

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