Update 6:40pm ET: I found a much better explanation of everything from SearchEngineWatch.com. This guy clearly has more time than me.
After Google refused a government subpeona for access to its users' search patterns, the Bush administration has asked a federal judge to order Google to comply. In response, Google announced its latest product: Google Government (Beta), which it said would live by the company's motto: don't be evil.
Ok now for a more serious look at this.
Here are some quotes from the story.
Yay, Google!!
Guess what the government chose? Trial baby!
The gov is arguing that it needs to prove how many times people find child porn online to defend its online child protection act which was struck down in 2004. The gov says it has the cooperation of other search engines but not Google. The gov says it needs Google in because G has 46% of the search engine market. The gov is full of poo.
They don't know jack about stats!! You don't need to know everyone's behavior. Just use the sellout search engines who gave up their customers' privacy as a sample. I'm sure its representative of the whole, unless they thing Google searchers are just way more into porn.
After Google refused a government subpeona for access to its users' search patterns, the Bush administration has asked a federal judge to order Google to comply. In response, Google announced its latest product: Google Government (Beta), which it said would live by the company's motto: don't be evil.
Ok now for a more serious look at this.
Here are some quotes from the story.
Nicole Wong, an associate general counsel for Google, said the company will fight the government's effort ``vigorously.''
``Google is not a party to this lawsuit, and the demand for the information is overreaching,'' Wong said.
Yay, Google!!
The government argues that it needs the information as it prepares to once again defend the constitutionality of the Child Online Protection Act in a federal court in Pennsylvania. The law was struck down in 2004 because it was too broad and could prevent adults from accessing legal porn sites.
However, the Supreme Court invited the government to either come up with a less drastic version of the law or go to trial to prove that the statute does not violate the First Amendment and is the only viable way to combat child porn.
Guess what the government chose? Trial baby!
The government indicated that other, unspecified search engines have agreed to release the information, but not Google.
...
Google has the largest share of U.S. Web searches with 46 percent, according to November 2005 figures from Nielsen//NetRatings. Yahoo is second with 23 percent, and MSN third with 11 percent.
The gov is arguing that it needs to prove how many times people find child porn online to defend its online child protection act which was struck down in 2004. The gov says it has the cooperation of other search engines but not Google. The gov says it needs Google in because G has 46% of the search engine market. The gov is full of poo.
They don't know jack about stats!! You don't need to know everyone's behavior. Just use the sellout search engines who gave up their customers' privacy as a sample. I'm sure its representative of the whole, unless they thing Google searchers are just way more into porn.