Readers speak out on Google v. Uncle Sam
My last entry, praising Google for fighting the Justice Dept.'s overly broad and unnecessary fishing expedition for information on porn sites, drew response from a variety of readers that I wanted to share with you.
I mentioned that there are better and easier ways for Uncle Sam to figure out what Web users are searching for and which sites they're visiting. Chrystie Terry, Network World's very own audience development expert, supplied this information supporting my point. "I've read a few dozen articles on this so far and the one thing I'm still unclear about is why the government really thinks they 'need' to go through Google or any other search engine to find this data. For a $300/year subscription to WordTracker anyone can look up keyword and related keyword search statistics and even find out the number of Web sites that actively (optimize) that term within a search engine. I'm sure the search engine's direct data dump is easier but this information is generally available if they know where to look for it. For instance, try the search term 'homeland security'. This term has been typed into search engines 1,472 times in the past 30 days. Google has 136,000,000 sites indexed for the term. Yahoo has 84 sites using PPC (pay per click) for the term. But I do agree it is a good thing that Google is doing by fighting this order."
Thanks Vortican Terry.
Vortician Bill Baker, a long time friend of this column, wrote: "Hi John, John Kenneth Galbraith (said) 'In the end, people end-up with the government they deserve.' We used to have a name for a government that abused its power to justify spying on its people; we called it the Soviet Union. Guess you will never be one of Fox's 'fair and balanced' journalists. Thank you John, thank you Google."
And thank you, Bill.
Vortician Brant Comstock said: "Mr. Gallant, I just wanted to applaud you for stating your position regarding what our government has been doing, i.e. spying, requesting private data ... from Google, MSN and Yahoo!. The problem isn't the request, it is the entry into further requests that this might present. I think it is definitely time for the citizens of our great country to be aware that our government is out of control with all of its unconstitutional moves ... wiretapping, privacy invasion, non-declaration of war ... just to name a few, and for us to use our power, the vote, to vote out this administration.
"If you are one not to get involved in politics, yet this issue compels you to speak up, doesn't that mean that everyone's limits are probably being pushed as well? I applaud you and support your position."
Brant, thanks and I think you're right - or, at least, I hope you are. I think more and more people are growing concerned about how this administration views its powers and its responsibility to citizens and I hope we'll see the effects of that beginning with the mid-term elections later this year. But the administration is certainly not backing down in the face of objections. In fact, it has launched a brash PR campaign designed to convince citizens that its illegal wiretapping was not only within its scope of power, but the right thing to do. Again, the message is that the ends - protecting us from Osama Bin Laden - justify all means, even if the means include snooping into what books you take out of the library and imposing a gag order on your local librarian to keep him or her from alerting anyone to that search.
The Computer and Communications Industry Association released a statement on this issue urging the government to back off. CCIA President and CEO Ed Black, who has spoken at Vortex, stated: "The U.S. government should uphold civil liberties at home, especially when basic freedoms are in such danger abroad. We must remain the 'City upon a Hill' to which all nations can look for example. U.S. companies cannot resist egregious violations of individual liberty and privacy overseas so long as we fail in this basic principle of democracy. The more that our administration undertakes actions such as this, the less credibility we will have to criticize other nations' attempts to control the Internet in their own countries."
I cannot agree more deeply with that "City upon a Hill" message. We're supposed to be the nation that others look to for guidance on how democracy works.
Finally, a couple of other quick comments, two from readers, one from me. Vortician Molly Miller wrote: "John, A well reasoned and important commentary. Thank you." You're welcome. Vortician David Newman, one of Network World's great Test Alliance members, added: "Very glad to see your editorial this week. I promise to come visit at whichever Eastern European holiday camp (Attorney General) Alberto Gonzalez denies he's holding you in."
Very funny David. (I think).
Other witticisms and commentary will reach me here.
Bye for now.
Back to Vortex Blog
Comments
Post a comment
