Bush asks for Google Search Data
Posted January 19, 2006 09:24 AM
The Bush administration has asked a California district court judge to order Google to turn over 1 million random web addresses and records of all Google searches from any one-week period.
The government argues that it needs the information as it prepares to once again defend the constitutionality of the Child Online Protection Act in a federal court in Pennsylvania. The law was struck down in 2004 because it was too broad and could prevent adults from accessing legal porn sites.Google, to its credit has refused to comply with a subpoena issued last year and says that releasing the information would violate the privacy rights of its users and reveal company trade secrets.
Nicole Wong, an associate general counsel for Google, said the company will fight the government's effort vigorously: "Google is not a party to this lawsuit, and the demand for the information is overreaching."[paraphrased and quoted from Feds after Google data By Howard Mintz in the Mercury News] [via Techdirt]
The Case: Ashcroft v. ACLU, No. 03-218 (U.S.S.C. June 29, 2004) A divided (5-4) U.S. Supreme Court on June 29, 2004 barred enforcement of a 1998 federal law designed to keep Internet pornography away from minors because it likely violates constitutional free-speech rights.
Links:
* internet privacy decisions roundup
* Ashcroft v. ACLU link roundup
* Free porn, Google, spam, Internet censorship, and the Supreme Court
(tags: free speech internet regulation copa google privacy)