Google vs The Bush Administration
Ok... I'm certain that by now you've all heard about the Bush administration / Google ordeal at least in some aspect, but, for those of you whom haven't because you been living under a rock or your desk for the past week I've got you covered.
Apparently, in an attempt to measure the amount of child pornography on the Internet and to defend the 1998 Child Online Protection Act, which is being challenged in court in Philadelphia by the American Civil Liberties Union, federal prosecutors have subpoenaed Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, and America Online to hand over millions of search records.
Without hesitation, Microsoft, Yahoo, and AOL chose to comply with the US Government's request rather than fight their subpoena in court. Google, however, denied the fed's demands and is more than prepared to give the Bush administration hell before ever complying with such a request.
So, is Google being stubborn with their search data? Should they be so defensive considering what is at stake? One would think that Google would want exercise its good corporate branding and hand deliver any requested search data... especially if it means securing the protection of the youth. Records from search logs would help to understand the behavior of web users and estimate how frequently they encounter pornography. For instance, Internet addresses obtained from the search engines could be tested against filtering programs to evaluate their effectiveness.
Or... is Google doing right by protecting its search data and ultimately their search users? Although the government is not asking for Internet addresses that would identify people, Google no doubt fears that disclosing search terms and data would invade on its user's privacy. It's quite simple, the more our government is able to figure out, regarding whom the search engine surfers are, the more people's First Amendment rights are in jeopardy.
I'm almost hesitant to pick a side in this debate, but, nonetheless I am siding with Google. This isn't a case of who is searching what. This is a case of fishing into a business structures records to try to find criminals. Bush and the US Government have already gone to extremes with the recent phone tapping incidents and to allow them permission to gain such data would be just as violating.
Don't get me wrong, child porn is a very serious matter and it should be dealt with, but so is personal privacy and the First Amendment rights of American citizens. Since the Government is unable to find these people themselves handing over data such as this could get every single web surfer sued for something. Google created a business, buys bandwidth, employs people and this is their data and their business. The Government needs to figure out how to fight this without bullying companies into giving over data such as this.
In addition, I have my doubts about the Administration's approach to this matter. To quote the infamous Danny Sullivan, the search industry's most recognized spokesman, if you want to measure how much porn is showing up in searches, try searching for it yourself rather than issuing privacy alarm sounding subpoenas... just a thought. It would certainly be more accurate.
Take a bow to Google. I tip my hat to you for fighting the fight when you know your right.
Apparently, in an attempt to measure the amount of child pornography on the Internet and to defend the 1998 Child Online Protection Act, which is being challenged in court in Philadelphia by the American Civil Liberties Union, federal prosecutors have subpoenaed Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, and America Online to hand over millions of search records.
Without hesitation, Microsoft, Yahoo, and AOL chose to comply with the US Government's request rather than fight their subpoena in court. Google, however, denied the fed's demands and is more than prepared to give the Bush administration hell before ever complying with such a request.
So, is Google being stubborn with their search data? Should they be so defensive considering what is at stake? One would think that Google would want exercise its good corporate branding and hand deliver any requested search data... especially if it means securing the protection of the youth. Records from search logs would help to understand the behavior of web users and estimate how frequently they encounter pornography. For instance, Internet addresses obtained from the search engines could be tested against filtering programs to evaluate their effectiveness.
Or... is Google doing right by protecting its search data and ultimately their search users? Although the government is not asking for Internet addresses that would identify people, Google no doubt fears that disclosing search terms and data would invade on its user's privacy. It's quite simple, the more our government is able to figure out, regarding whom the search engine surfers are, the more people's First Amendment rights are in jeopardy.
I'm almost hesitant to pick a side in this debate, but, nonetheless I am siding with Google. This isn't a case of who is searching what. This is a case of fishing into a business structures records to try to find criminals. Bush and the US Government have already gone to extremes with the recent phone tapping incidents and to allow them permission to gain such data would be just as violating.
Don't get me wrong, child porn is a very serious matter and it should be dealt with, but so is personal privacy and the First Amendment rights of American citizens. Since the Government is unable to find these people themselves handing over data such as this could get every single web surfer sued for something. Google created a business, buys bandwidth, employs people and this is their data and their business. The Government needs to figure out how to fight this without bullying companies into giving over data such as this.
In addition, I have my doubts about the Administration's approach to this matter. To quote the infamous Danny Sullivan, the search industry's most recognized spokesman, if you want to measure how much porn is showing up in searches, try searching for it yourself rather than issuing privacy alarm sounding subpoenas... just a thought. It would certainly be more accurate.
Take a bow to Google. I tip my hat to you for fighting the fight when you know your right.
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posted by Karl Ribas Friday, January 20, 2006 Read Comments (3) | Post a Comment | Subscribe  
 
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3 Comments:
Nice. I've been following this in the news. When you're as big as Google, you can afford to go toe-to-toe with the U.S. government. I've not understood how this data would help the government's case and like you point out, if you want to see what's out there on the Internet, Google it yourself.
By
Peter Roebuck, at January 20, 2006 12:01 PM
Nice article. This is the first I've actually heard of the situation. I can't say that I agree with either side. It would be nice to know that child pornography was dealt with accordingly. However, shouldn't the government have enough data collected from Yahoo! and AOL to complete a worthwhile case? Keep up the good work bro!
By
Anonymous, at January 26, 2006 1:27 AM
That actually raises a great point. Why wouldn't the government have enough search data after receiving donations from Microsoft, Yahoo!, and AOL?
I can understand that Google is the most dominant search engine today and getting their data might provide a broader scope of how big or not big this issue really is, but surely the Government is able to make their case with what has already been given to them. I mean... they're not all idiots are they? :)
By
Karl Ribas, at January 27, 2006 1:55 PM
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