Got A Case Of The Googlies

Sometimes when what you want is a really good cult story, you come up empty-handed, and get stuck talking about how Google is refusing to hand over the records of Internet searches
by people like you and me.

The White House argues that a list of all requests entered into its search
engine over a single week - which could span tens of millions of queries - will
help it build up a profile of internet use it needs to defend an online
pornography law.

It also wants a million randomly selected addresses from the index of
websites that Google searches.
The papers said Google's search record "would
assist the government in its efforts to understand the behavior of current web
users [and] to estimate how often web users encounter harmful-to-minors material
in the course of their searches".
The Bush administration insists it does
not want to tie the search requests to the person or computer that made them but
the subpoena has nevertheless raised serious privacy concerns.
Ashok Ramani,
Google's lawyer, replied in a letter to the White House that the internet giant
- whose corporate motto is "Don't be evil" - would not hand over its
records.


Favorite personal highlight.

Google's lawyer, replied in a letter to the White House that the internet giant
- whose corporate motto is "Don't be evil"
But...apparently the other search engines, Yahoo, AOL, and MSN sold us out to the man.

Earlier today, I asked a Justice Department spokesperson which search
engines other than Google received requests to provide search records. The
answer: Yahoo, AOL, and MSN were also asked to supply search records
information, and all complied. Google did not, and that is why the DoJ asked a
federal judge on Wednesday to order the company to do so.

I guess we know who the evil companies are. Oh, wait, who the fuck uses Yahoo, AOL, or MSN to search for anything on the Internet?

Google refuses White House search request (Guardian)

DoJ search requests: Google said no; Yahoo, AOL, MSN yes. (BoingBoing)