Be careful.
The federal government has issued a request to Yahoo Inc. and to Google Inc. for certain search records and addresses. The request, in the form of a subpoena, centers on requests entered into Google’s search engine during an unspecified single week. Additionally, the subpoena seeks 1 million randomly selected Web addresses from various Google databases.
Google has so far refused to comply, citing privacy issues, though Yahoo has confirmed that it has complied with a similar request. Microsoft’s MSN has refused to say whether it has yet complied.
The Bush administration claims that the requests are essential to restore online child protection laws that have been struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.
However, concerns about the level and types of information sought have led Google to refuse to comply. Such a search, some claim, could be used to obtain personal information which could be used for other purposes, or otherwise be overreaching. The timing of the request has been particularly troublesome, especially considering the recent revelations that President Bush authorized eavesdropping on civilian communications without obtaining court approval.
The current case is not the first instance of such a request from the federal government. In another case, this one in Pennsylvania, the Bush administration is seeking information from Google in order to prove that Internet filters do not offer adequate protections for children.
In both cases, the government has filed motions in court to force compliance. Don’t be surprised if these requests make it all the way to the US Supreme Court.
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