Google does the right thing by standing up to Uncle Sam
"Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy. The savage's whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe. Civilization is the process of setting man free from men." Ayn Rand
Dear Vorticians,
I generally steer clear of political issues, except those that directly influence the course of our industry. But I want to applaud Google for resisting the Bush administration's attempt to force the search engine giant to release information about customer searches and the Web sites it tracks. By that I mean, our searches and our Web sites.
By way of background, the Justice Department last year issued a subpoena to Google seeking data on a million random Web addresses and the search terms entered by users over any one-week period. (The feds' initial request was to learn about all the Web addresses Google can search and one month's worth of search terms.) The government claims this information will provide insights into the frequency of pornography use and help revive a law, struck down by courts, that would make it harder for children to access smut. You can read the details in the San Jose Mercury News, which broke the story, here.
Yes, I know that Google may ultimately comply with the Justice Dept.'s subpoena if ordered by the courts, but for now the company is doing the right thing by strongly and vocally resisting what it has properly labeled an "overreaching" demand for private data. Like Google, none of us is a party to the government's action here and our activities are not germane to the case. Google is standing up for the rights of its 'citizens,' which is more than the current U.S. administration seems willing to do for its own citizens.
Google's stance is all the more admirable in light of the fact that other big search companies, Yahoo!, MSN and AOL, have already complied with the government's request. According to sources quoted in the New York Times, these companies fell prey to the cancerous philosophy, espoused by the Bush camp, that "if you're not with us, you're against us" in these dangerous times, and were worried about the implications of not complying with Big Brother.
These Internet companies - Google included - have rightfully been criticized for helping the Chinese government keep information out of the hands of its citizens - blocking, for example, certain search terms like 'human rights' - and, in the case of Yahoo!, even aiding the Chinese government in jailing one journalist. In the wake of that criticism, these Internet leaders could have showed more backbone in their own country, but only Google did.
The companies claim that there was no information provided that would specifically identify any individuals. Even if that's true, it's not the point. The government's request amounts to fishing expedition. Who knows what information can ultimately be determined by analyzing the data? Who knows what else the government will learn from the records that were handed over? (The number of times people searched for information critical of the current regime?)
The government doesn't need to demand information about the activities of private citizens from any company in order to prove that pornography is rampant on the Internet and that it is easily accessed by any minor. An intrepid, junior-grade Justice Dept. attorney with a broadband link could have amassed an astonishing array of evidence to bolster the government's case in just a couple of days, a couple of hours probably. In fact, most teenage boys could have provided them with a rich trove of evidence without a great deal of prompting.
In light of the current controversies over the Bush administration's clandestine wiretapping and Internet monitoring, it's remarkable the Justice Dept. would put itself in the limelight in this fashion. It's further proof that the administration has little concern about our right to privacy and the limits of government intrusion - no matter how righteous the cause.
Eric, Larry, Sergey, stand strong on this issue. We'll all be better off.
As always, I welcome your thoughts on this, or any other issue. Reach me here.
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Comments
PRAISE GOOGLE !!!
The White House just wanted all the porn to themselves. Now they can sue and sue and sue
FOR ALL OF THE PORNO THEY CAN POSSIBLY GET !!!
BUSH wants to look at BUSH ?
REPUBLICAN WHIPS & CHANEY'S PERHAPS ?
PILES OF NAKED IRAQI'S NOT ENOUGH ?
THIS ADMINISTRATION IS A TRAIN WRECK !!!
Posted by: DLJ on January 29, 2006 01:58 PM
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