The government wants to see what Google users have been typing in search box.

[cherub_rocker1979]

https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10925344/?GT1=7538

Do you think the government is going too far to stop illegal activity?  Are they violating your privacy?

[bananafish]

Though, I'd have to say that internet porn is pretty easy to access, but IF the Bush administration is really targeting on protecting children from accessing these websites, shouldn't they look somewhere else, i.e. the parents? I don't think a child should access the internet alone. Period. Parents' should always be present, else, set a computer password when they are not home.

There are probably ten dozen ways for the government to think of a better tactic to educate and help these parents set up porn-proof firewall programs (just hire some programmers!) But, of course they won't do it. Why? Because frankly, I don't think they care more than an ich on their backs for The Kids. They are collecting things that can be used against you later. Say, if they still don't catch Bin Laden in the next couple years (if they ever will), so, they are running out of options (they don't want to appear lazy in front of the world, of course), then they'll probably bring a list of YOUR online searches to YOUR house and make YOU a suspect! Yes, suspect!

After their lies about the Iraq war, bulls of helping Katrina victims,... ect., I can only take two cents of whatever they claim. Kudos for Google's courage on rebuffing the Bush people, else, I'd be afraid to search anything online... someone's watching out for you...

[leahcim]

Do you think the government is going too far to stop illegal activity?  Are they violating your privacy?

No, I don't think they are going anywhere to stop anything with this.

I think the request itself is largely immaterial from a privacy pov. It's not like searching people at an airport to find the guy with a bomb. AFAICT they aren't trying to catch anyone to stop an illegal activity, and, there is a court order and public awareness that they are getting the data so it's not "snooping" per se.

I imagine they want a statistic, one they want to use to justify some legislation. I'd be more worried about the legitimacy of the statistical evidence they get from it and the arguments they make based on it and how the new legislation affects folk, rather than any privacy implications.

Google publishes statistics about searching habits I believe, and so do many other places  that show the top internet sites.

The Government say they aren't requesting stuff to link personally identifiable information  to the searches. Which I assume is, at least, ip addresses, google accounts [like the one you need for searching google books] and the session cookie, if not others.

The interesting [albeit probably not new] thing is that (a) Google keeps this search information around so that it can be requested in the first place. and (b) the implicit idea from what the Government say they don't want that suggests Google could provide it, if it wanted or is ordered to.

i.e if you're worried about your privacy of searching and for that matter browsing, you'd probably be worried about Google and the sites / isps and whatnot keeping and storing it in the first place.

In that sense, if someone here is invading your privacy, or you feel they are, they probably were before the Government got a court order.

A bank, telephone company and lots of other places store data about you, for billing and whatever else. A court can order that info in certain circumstances, but you can probably see the bank and so on has some use for the data that justifies the act of storing it.

I can't see what those reasons are for folk browsing the web?

[cherub_rocker1979]

Kudos for Google's courage on rebuffing the Bush people, else, I'd be afraid to search anything online... someone's watching out for you...

Big Brother is watching.

[BoliverAllmon]

If the government is actually attempting to show the need for that previous law then I saw go for it. I have nothing to hide. I don't see what all the hype is about.

boliver

[Kassaa]

If the government is actually attempting to show the need for that previous law then I saw go for it. I have nothing to hide. I don't see what all the hype is about.

boliver

It's not that, it's the idea of being watched all the time.

[BoliverAllmon]

i don't care if I am being watched. i have nothing to hide.

[stevie]

kids should be allowed to view porn, its all part of growing up.

now i know what a clitoris is!!! 

[BoliverAllmon]

it isn't for kids to watch. Also I think this is a way to curb child pornography as well. If you think child porno is a fundamental right to everyone you have issues.

[keys]

"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security"
Benjamin Franklin

I'm a big fan of personal responsibility

[BoliverAllmon]

I disagree with Franklin

[contrapunctus]

The government could care less about who looks at porn. They want to monitor the search engine to find people who look up instructions to make homemade bombs, etc.
Also, to the Franklin quoter, Privacy is not a freedom nor a right. If the government took away our privacy, we would still have all the rights we had before except we would be watched. I have nothing to hide, so I don't care.

[BoliverAllmon]

Also, to the Franklin quoter, Privacy is not a freedom nor a right. If the government took away our privacy, we would still have all the rights we had before except we would be watched. I have nothing to hide, so I don't care.

I agree with this though.

[bananafish]

I don't understand why privacy isn't a freedom or right. What if a sick person would like to keep his prescription private? Isn't that kind of privacy a must freedom and right?

I'm pretty sure most people here never killed anyone and such, of course, nothing about searching for some recipes online can get you a court order. But, what kind of democracy is it if the government knows exactly what you are searching for (doing your own business at your OWN HOME) on such and such day; therefore, might indirectly imply what your thought process, activities (requesting online map, maybe?), interests, dinner on a specific day are?

None of these matters whether one has anything to hide. I don't think anyone can sit still and calm if a government person comes with a stack of paper, telling you that on so and so day you searched "how to build an atomic bomb" and twenty more times within the same week. "From now on, we are watching you." They say. Of course, you have nothing to hide, you are doing a school project on atomic bomb, but can you act freely afterwards? Especially that if the government is allowed to probe our privacy at all times for 'security reasons', then, no one will need to come tell us that someone's watching, we'll know, and how can we act freely then?

[BoliverAllmon]

they are just wanting one specific week. it isn't like they are going to be doing this forever.

[cziffra]

they are just wanting one specific week. it isn't like they are going to be doing this forever.

i lol'd

[BoliverAllmon]

good for you. Yahoo and other search engines have already handed over the information. Google is the only one holding out.

[Derek]

I don't think I'll be arrested for searching for things like "improvisation" "mips processors" "computer programming"  ...so I'm not too worried about it. I hope they do catch people who type in things like "k*** th**s*nds *f Americans fan club site"

[bananafish]

Of course this asking for search engine information is not going to lead to arrests, i.e. they are not asking for i.p. addresses and such. But what I'm trying to say is to defend privacy as a freedom and right. We shouldn't allow the gov. to freely invade our privacy because you simply have nothing to hide. It concerns to the greater aspect to what kinds of government, democracy are we living under. And, this search engine episode is just a part of the whole series on gov.'s domestic spying program (i.e. eavesdrop without a court order.) Though, I actually don't think THIS particular request from the gov. is going to destruct our soul and make us feel like prisoners, but I agree with the Franklin quote.

Sorry if I come out too strong. I don't mean to injure the friendly atmosphere of our pianistic delights. I'm easily tired of the same subject, so I guess I'll just go burn my bra in front of the White House. Ciao!

[I Love Xenakis]

Well as long as you're not typing in things like "how to build a dirty bomb", "floor plans for pentagon" or "eight year olds in massive adolescent orgy" I think you're safe.


Since I don't recollect ever typing any of those things into google I don't give a damn ^^

[I Love Xenakis]

"eight year olds in massive adolescent orgy"

Comme might disappear for a while though.

[cziffra]

Comme might disappear for a while though.

Hahahahaha, DAYUM

[stevie]

 

[clef]

No, I don't think they are going anywhere to stop anything with this.

I think the request itself is largely immaterial from a privacy pov. It's not like searching people at an airport to find the guy with a bomb. AFAICT they aren't trying to catch anyone to stop an illegal activity, and, there is a court order and public awareness that they are getting the data so it's not "snooping" per se.

I imagine they want a statistic, one they want to use to justify some legislation. I'd be more worried about the legitimacy of the statistical evidence they get from it and the arguments they make based on it and how the new legislation affects folk, rather than any privacy implications.

Google publishes statistics about searching habits I believe, and so do many other places  that show the top internet sites.

The Government say they aren't requesting stuff to link personally identifiable information  to the searches. Which I assume is, at least, ip addresses, google accounts [like the one you need for searching google books] and the session cookie, if not others.

The interesting [albeit probably not new] thing is that (a) Google keeps this search information around so that it can be requested in the first place. and (b) the implicit idea from what the Government say they don't want that suggests Google could provide it, if it wanted or is ordered to.

i.e if you're worried about your privacy of searching and for that matter browsing, you'd probably be worried about Google and the sites / isps and whatnot keeping and storing it in the first place.

In that sense, if someone here is invading your privacy, or you feel they are, they probably were before the Government got a court order.

A bank, telephone company and lots of other places store data about you, for billing and whatever else. A court can order that info in certain circumstances, but you can probably see the bank and so on has some use for the data that justifies the act of storing it.

I can't see what those reasons are for folk browsing the web?

I say educate them and give them the benifit of the doubt, a chance to do the right thing.  Anyway what is going to happen, a few teenagers are going to see abit of porn, not as bad as alcohol or drugs by a long shot.