Google Vows to Uphold User Privacy

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6:05 am on January 20, 2006 | Category: Web Services, Law, Regulation, Editorials

As part of an effort to strengthen internet censorship laws, the US government has demanded that Google hand over its confidential search records.

The subpoena demands that Google to relinquish a sample of 1 million random searches performed over each one-week period, among other material from its databases. The government wants to determine how often pornography-related words show up in searches, then use this information to revive a previously abandoned law on internet porn.

This highly controversial Child Online Protection Act would require users to enter special access codes before viewing adult content, in order to prevent children from seeing such material.

In trying to revive this law, the Bush government is ignoring the fact that it has already been rejected by the Supreme Court, as being unconstitutional and an impediment to free speech. Nevertheless, they seem determined to approach it from some other angle, and force this highly authoritarian proposal into law.

Fortunately, Google is doing all they can to fend off government information requests, and keep private information private. The company claims that complying with the requests would violate the rights of users, while compromising important trade secrets.

Of course, Google also has another reason for not complying. Their many services and data collection strategies have been under strict analysis from privacy advocates for some time now, but so far, they’ve done an excellent job of respecting users, and sticking by their policy of doing no evil.

Cooperating with a government attempt to quell internet privacy and free speech, however, would severely damage this reputation, and do irreparable damage to the company’s image. Google knows that they must do all they can to fight against unfair laws and restrictions, as well as over regulation of the internet in general. By doing so, they will keep users happy, and keep their own good name untarnished.

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Good for Google….while you need to be careful,
there should be some parental responsibility.

Know where your child is and what they are doing.

Comment by maria Sellers — January 20, 2006 #