Would you like Google to hand over your search queries?

boardy

It seems that Google are putting up a fight against the U.S. government’s request for 2 months random search results. I think that it a major breach of our privacy rights and I am shocked that Yahoo and AOL did provide the government with this information and Microsoft may have done it also.

The primary reason being used by the government is to stop child porn exploitation but I think that it is just a fishing expedition and the net is quite large.

All the search engine companies got a hammering on the stock market yesterday, with Google taking the biggest hit. This could change the way we use the Internet (if we know that big brother is watching our queries).

Don’t know if this is a humanities issue (so feel free to move) but it has certainly broad implications.

Some links:
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B54C61B89-2A96-4DAD-A844-A9B994AE79C7%7D&siteid=google
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=30&si=1546657&issue_id=13578 (subscription based).

Sleepy

Personally I have to say I wouldn't like my google searches/surfing habits being placed in the public domain. It would be quite easy to take some of them out of context, for example if I visit a link to Stormfront from a debate on this very forum it probably means I'm looking at it in order to discredit it. However, should the fact just be presented that my IP address visited the stormfront website, I could easily be portrayed as a racist/faschist.

boardy

Sleepy wrote:

Personally I have to say I wouldn't like my google searches/surfing habits being placed in the public domain. It would be quite easy to take some of them out of context, for example if I visit a link to Stormfront from a debate on this very forum it probably means I'm looking at it in order to discredit it. However, should the fact just be presented that my IP address visited the stormfront website, I could easily be portrayed as a racist/faschist.

Good example Sleepy.
The abuse of the information requested by the government is my underlying concern. They will have computer programs to traverse the enormous amount of electronic information that they receive from search engine companies and these programs will look for obvious key words. Then your IP will be flagged because you visited Stormfront. And it is not rocket science after that to find out who you are. Just by the fact that your IP was flagged and noted could get you in trouble. And the next time you try to visit the States on holiday, you might be refused entry (because you are a raging Nazi).

I know that it's an extreme scenario but imagine the other "innocent" searches. And if the government gets this information, would your employer be able to ask for this information also (if they worked on government contracts)? As I said in the earlier post, there are far-reaching implications to be considered.

rsynnott

Good lord, I'd better stop searching for "how to make a home-made nuclear bomb with which to set fire to American flags and destroy traditional family values".

Goodshape

No. Pretty much for the reasons Sleepy pointed out.

Sleepy

rsynnott wrote:

Good lord, I'd better stop searching for "how to make a home-made nuclear bomb with which to set fire to American flags and destroy traditional family values".

Tip: Try removing quotes from your search to get more results.


Your search - "how to make a home-made nuclear bomb with which to set fire to American flags and destroy traditional family values" - did not match any documents.

Suggestions:

    * Make sure all words are spelled correctly.
    * Try different keywords.
    * Try more general keywords.

I couldn't resist

nesf

Sleepy wrote:

for example if I visit a link to Stormfront from a debate on this very forum it probably means I'm looking at it in order to discredit it. However, should the fact just be presented that my IP address visited the stormfront website, I could easily be portrayed as a racist/faschist.

Of course that would be false....


Personally, that's one of those sites that I wouldn't touch at work. I do agree though, the idea that my search results being open to the public would be odd tbh. It's like someone having a record of everything I've looked up in real world books lately. I know that the vast majority of it would be completely boring to the vast majority of people but I'm sure, as Sleepy says, that there has to be a few things in there that if taken out of context could look very bad.

boardy

"It is inevitable that the government will start to seek out data for other purposes if it succeeds with Google" attorney Thomas R. Burke warned. "The implications of Google's subpoena are profound. People have got to come to realize that, eventually, everything they search for is information that may be shared with government."

From
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/6rbUjnv1ZnNqgr/Uproar-Grows-Over-US-Demand-for-Google-Search-Records.xhtml

Sangre

They're looking for a random sample of searches not specific identies just searching habits.
Still think Google should put up a fight. Only way I'd want this would be if Google had a disclaimer on its search page etc

simu

No - it's a total invasion of privacy. It would be like the government going through your bins and making a list of the finds!

Freelancer

Sleepy wrote:

Personally I have to say I wouldn't like my google searches/surfing habits being placed in the public domain. It would be quite easy to take some of them out of context, for example if I visit a link to Stormfront from a debate on this very forum it probably means I'm looking at it in order to discredit it. However, should the fact just be presented that my IP address visited the stormfront website, I could easily be portrayed as a racist/faschist.

A number of years ago my partner was involved in anti racist campaigns in limerick, the result of which was her name and address being published on a stormfront related site, and she recieved death threats. I regulary check the site for fear of this happening again, (and also the personal ads are fricking hilarious) I'd be considered that even looking at something becomes a crime is wrong, thinking isn't a crime and shouldn't be made punishment, and investigating something shouldn't be illegal either.
So, er, well, whut, sleepy said,...........

However what you are suggesting is that context matters, so if you were investigating neo nazism because you like it, is that not okay? But if you're outraged about neo nazism it's not okay. Bascially Who define's whats a good thought and whats a bad thought? Neo nazism is not okay, gay rights okay, child sex not okay? multipile partners okay? Or what?

AARRRGH

It's disturbing how much information Google has on the average user. Especially if they can connect a Gmail account (your name, location, friends) with your searching...

I wrote a little script which will hide your identity -

http://www.wtfsearch.com

Google will store my servers IP (etc.) rather than yours...

JimmySmith

if you use pre-fetching software your computer can visit a site without you even knowing about it, just because there is a link on the page you are looking at.

rsynnott

JimmySmith wrote:

if you use pre-fetching software your computer can visit a site without you even knowing about it, just because there is a link on the page you are looking at.

And assuming that there is an appropriate 'rel' value on that link. The only place I can think of that actually does this is google.

Tar.Aldarion

simu wrote:

No - it's a total invasion of privacy. It would be like the government going through your bins and making a list of the finds!

As we suspected, terrorist organisation being fronted by a tea site.
O.o

MiCr0

surely the american govt can just buy the browsing habits from gogole, the same way advertisers do?

aidan_walsh

MiCr0 wrote:

surely the american govt can just buy the browsing habits from gogole, the same way advertisers do?

I'm sure not, what with Google being the Good Guys of the Internet™. And afaik Google have never directly made browsing habits available to advertisers either. Their advertising all takes place off the Google servers, so advertisers never get to see what you or I are searching for.