WTF? Google being told to hand over....

[Vette73]

UPDATE2

"Federal investigators have obtained potentially billions of Internet search requests made by users of major websites run by Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp. and America Online Inc., raising concerns about how the massive data trove will be used."

UPDATE

As some saw the article says there were other search engines that gave up this information without a fight. Being the 2 biggest are Google and yahoo I wanted to know if yahoo was given a subpoena and if so are they fighting it or juts gave information out. Well Mary Osako of yahoo wrote me and basically said they, yahoo, do NOT believe it was a privacy issue and did not fight it. She also said yahoo was ?rigorous defenders of our users' privacy?.This is very disconcerting as if they give this information up so easily will they do so the next time this administration asks for more info? I will ask some more questions and also try to get a copy of what they gave to the Department of Justice.

We are rigorous defenders of our users' privacy. We did not provide any
personal information in response to the Department of Justice's
subpoena. In our opinion, this is not a privacy issue.

U.S. Government Wants Google Search Records

The Bush administration on Wednesday asked a federal judge to order Google to turn over a broad range of material from its closely guarded databases.

OK this is getting out of hand. I guess I read the US home of the free wrong.

Another story

Feds seek Google records in porn probe

 

[meltdown75]

let me guess, it's an issue of national security?

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: meltdown75
let me guess, it's an issue of national security?

Better. Pr0n!

 

[JS80]

They don't care that you search for pr0n. They only care if you searched for bomb making.

 

[minus1972]

if you read the article the government's reasoning is just absurd. The law they're trying to defend is totally flawed too. Instead of re-writing it to the specifications given by the supreme court when it was shot down, they're pulling this crap.

 

[GTaudiophile]

But, what about the children?

 

[SaturnX]

Originally posted by: meltdown75
let me guess, it's hardly an issue of national security?

24's an incredible show.



--Mark

 

[Indolent]

The government indicated that other, unspecified search engines have agreed to release the information, but not Google.

Interesting that they don't tell people which ones these are since they would definitely be boycotted.

 

[pulsedrive]

Yeah, but the point is that they have ABSOLUTELY no right to that information. It is called PRIVACY. I understand the need to seek out terrorists, but just because you visit a site that tells you how to make a bomb doesn't mean you are one, and there is nothing illegal about KNOWING how to make a bomb just MAKING one.

Lets see how this one plays out. *sigh*

 

[GTaudiophile]

BTW, privacy is not a right. It's no where in the Constitution.

But yeah, GWB sucks more and more by the day!

 

[monk3y]

Don't mess with Texas!!!

 

[Viper GTS]

I just like kittens, I swear...

Viper GTS

 

[effowe]

On the /. article it says that Google is promising to fight the release of the records.

 

[moshquerade]

why do these P&N topics keep getting posted in OT?

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: pulsedrive
Yeah, but the point is that they have ABSOLUTELY no right to that information. It is called PRIVACY. I understand the need to seek out terrorists, but just because you visit a site that tells you how to make a bomb doesn't mean you are one, and there is nothing illegal about KNOWING how to make a bomb just MAKING one.

Lets see how this one plays out. *sigh*

Does anyone even read the articles anymore? Christ.

 

[PingSpike]

Yeah, the US is getting pretty lame. It seems like every day we cut a little piece of the constitution out in order to feed our collective cowardance.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: Indolent

The government indicated that other, unspecified search engines have agreed to release the information, but not Google.

Interesting that they don't tell people which ones these are since they would definitely be boycotted.

Yep. I am going to e-mail yahoo and see what they say. I doubt they will answer it.

But it makes me feel better that google is standing up. :thumbsup:

 

[Czar]

quick.. everyone search for bomb making in google, lets make the results even more useless

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
BTW, privacy is not a right. It's no where in the Constitution.

But yeah, GWB sucks more and more by the day!

Honestly, this would likely come from any politician. Pandering to the "must protect the children" crowd is common from both sides of the aisle.

 

[minus1972]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
But, what about the children?

(yes, I know you're being sarcastic)

Screw this broad data-mining bullsh!t. The government has no right to go through all of my searches. This isn't even a national security matter. Where do we draw the line? Why not use this same information to find people who cheat on their taxes or don't pay their parking tickets. I swear I am *this* close to buying a house in Montana and living off the grid.

 

[pulsedrive]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
BTW, privacy is not a right. It's no where in the Constitution.

But yeah, GWB sucks more and more by the day!

Actually YES, it is, it is called illegal serach and seizuire. I don't remember which amendmant that one is, but that is the one that protects your privacy. The government cannot search or seize, which is what they are trying to do from google, anything if they don't have a warrant. At least that was how it was before the patriot act. *sigh*

 

[Czar]

oh I struck gold

edt.bahh.. no fun when the forums cant handle ascii
http://home.clara.net/nybbles/oldestuff/vik/nuke/contents.html

 

[waggy]

well this is NOT about national security. so can everyone stop refering to that?

this is about child porn. they want to open google up to see who was searching for it.

 

[minus1972]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
BTW, privacy is not a right. It's no where in the Constitution.

But yeah, GWB sucks more and more by the day!

The Constitution does not specifically mention a right to privacy. However, Supreme Court decisions over the years have established that the right to privacy is a basic human right, and as such is protected by virtue of the 9th Amendment. The right to privacy has come to the public's attention via several controversial Supreme Court rulings, including several dealing with contraception (the Griswold and Eisenstadt cases), interracial marriage (the Loving case), and abortion (the well-known Roe v Wade case). In addition, it is said that a right to privacy is inherent in many of the amendments in the Bill of Rights, such as the 3rd, the 4th's search and seizure limits, and the 5th's self-incrimination limit.

from http://www.usconstitution.net/constnot.html#privacy

 

[pulsedrive]

Originally posted by: waggy
well this is NOT about national security. so can everyone stop refering to that?

this is about child porn. they want to open google up to see who was searching for it.

Right and I am DEFINATLY all for stopping child pronography, but what keeps them from looking for other information? Nothing. That is why it is a problem. There is a delicate balance between freedoms and security that this particular administration has gone over several times and no one seems to care about it.