---

The Guardian, USA
Jan. 21, 2006
David Teather in New York
www.guardian.co.uk

---

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 13326 • Posted: Saturday January 21, 2006  

---

Google is defying a request by the US government to hand over data revealing what its users are searching for online. The Bush administration wants a list of requests entered into Google’s online search engine in an unspecified single week. It also wants 1m randomly selected web addresses from Google’s databases.

The White House said the information is part of an effort to protect children from online pornography, and would not violate personal privacy – but the request immediately raised concerns.

Rights groups in the US are already on alert after revelations that the White House authorised phone tapping without court orders. “This is exactly the kind of thing we have been worrying about with search engines for some time,” Pam Dixon of the World Privacy Forum told the Associated Press. “Google should be commended for fighting this.”

Yahoo and Microsoft confirmed they had handed over similar requested information to the US government. America Online said it had complied in part, providing a list of search terms already publicly available.

The administration first requested the search data in the summer, but Google refused – leading the US attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, to ask for a court order this week.

In a statement, Google said the demand was overreaching, and that it intended to fight the court order. The firm handles up to 1bn searches in an average week. Yahoo said it had not disclosed any personal information. “We are rigorous defenders of our users’ privacy,” a spokeswoman said. “In our opinion this is not a privacy issue.” Microsoft said it too had protected users.

The department of justice said it wants to simulate how people search the internet. In a brief filed with the court, it said the information would “assist the government in its efforts to understand the behaviour of current web users, and to estimate how often web users encounter harmful-to-minors material in the course of their searches.”

---

What You Can Do From Here

---

Read More Articles On These Topics Categories: USA Share, Blog About, Bookmark, or Email This Article Subscribe Religion News Blog RSS feed [What is this?] RSS by topic: USA Read Another Article Previous entry: Witches fight for symbols on gravestones Next entry: Sex For Salvation? RNB Homepage with latest headlines Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults Find Related Books USA Most Popular Today Scientology’s feet held to the fire in Australia: Struggle between a church and the state

---

Share This Article

---

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:

• Post a link on your blog or website:
  
• Send in an email or IM:
  
• Post on a forum:
  

Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- CounterCultSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.

Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- ApologeticsSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.