FAQ: What does the Google subpoena mean? | CNET News.com
Federal prosecutors have asked Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and America Online to turn over two types of data: logs showing search terms used by people, and a list of Web sites indexed by the companies’ search engines.
Here’s the big question that I, and practically everyone else blogging on politics, am asking - Why do they need this kind of data to find out what terms will bring up porn sites?
We all (well, the majority of decent folk) want to make sure our kids aren’t exposed to Kitty’s kitty when they’re googling “kitty”. But why does the DoJ need records of searches to determine what terms bring up which sites.
If there was no other motive for their query they could easily have some interns sit in front of computer screens and go to town. I know when I want to know something I put in a lot of different terms to find exactly what I want. And those interns are computer suavy enough to know what to put in to bring up porn. (BTW, did you know if you put in “Gray Does Matter” without the quotes you get all kinds of ED sites? That’s funny.). Put them to work, find out for yourself.
Personally, I don’t believe that they want this information just to check on porn sites (and what search terms are needed to reach these sites). I think they’re treading pretty shallow waters, watching what the opposition is saying and doing about this administration.
And don’t let them fool you about “hunting down terrorists” either. This is simply an extension of what Bush was already doing with the NSA. They are keeping very close tabs on their opponents. They are solidifying their power.
In my uneducated opinion this is just another step over the line of shredding the Constitution. Just one more way of violating the very people that he’s supposed to serve. Just one more step into a past that we’re supposed to detest (oh, and yeah, that’s Germany’s past. I’m not afraid to use that one).
I’m very disappointed with Yahoo! for not putting up a fight. But I don’t use them for anything other than mail anyway. I just wish they’d have had some backbone and stand up for our Constitution. The fight would have been on our side if we had more powerful allies. But then, maybe Yahoo! doesn’t really care about ordinary people. Maybe they have their own political agenda. I don’t know.
And if you think that this can’t possibly hurt our Constitution, then you’re wrong. This could become a tool to be used to take away the First Amendment, because bloggers are becoming such a powerful political tool. No, I don’t mean me. I mean Dailykos and Thinkprogress, blogs like those. I mean the blogs that get people the truth, fire up their patriotism, and get them to really do something for the benefit of the country they love. The blogs that GWB hates and that hate him.
They have done a good job of containing the mainstream media and turning them to their side. But then those pesky bloggers started getting press. So, they tried to discredit them. It didn’t work. Now they’ll go further and silence them the old fashioned way.
Yes, I’ll say it, the FASCIST WAY.
More links:
Privacy experts condemn subpoena
Subpoena just tip of the iceberg
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