[wplug] [OT] google databases & personal privacy

Brandon Kuczenski brandon at 301south.net
Thu Jan 19 21:30:17 EST 2006


On Thu, 19 Jan 2006, Bill Lavin wrote:

>> Feds after Google data
>> RECORDS SOUGHT IN U.S. QUEST TO REVIVE PORN LAW
>> 
>> The Bush administration on Wednesday asked a federal judge to
>> order Google to turn over a broad range of material from its closely
>> guarded databases.
>>

FWIW, I wouldn't mind if the Government won this one.  It would wake 
people up to the value/danger of the kind of data that Google's 
collecting, and maybe wind up forcing the company to do something 
*technical* to protect the data, rather than relying on security and law.

I mean, if the Government lost this case (which they rightly should), that 
may protect the one million random web users and the one week's worth of 
logs, but it won't change the fact that the data exist[s].  It won't 
change the open-market monetary value of the data.  It won't remove the 
possibility of some organization less constrained by law than the US 
Government getting its hands on the data.

Of course, if the government won this case, it would be a terrifying 
precedent.  But just because they lose, even if they lose every time they 
try, that won't remove the threat of abuse.

I no longer trust the Government, true, but I never trusted the 
Corporation.

-Brandon



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