Google likely to turn over some records to BushCo

[linazelle]

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 14 — After the Justice Department drastically reduced its request for information from Google, a federal judge said on Tuesday that he intended to approve at least part of that request...At a hearing in Federal District Court here, Judge James Ware said that in supporting the government's more limited request, he would nonetheless pay attention to Google's concerns about its trade secrets and the privacy of its users.

The government is now requesting a sample of 50,000 Web site addresses in Google's index instead of a million...it is asking for just 5,000 search queries, compared with an earlier demand for an entire week of queries, which could amount to billions of search terms...It intends to use the data in a study to measure the effectiveness of software that filters out pornographic Web sites:eyes:. The government says it is not seeking information that would "personally identify" individuals. "It is my intent to grant some relief to the government," Judge Ware said, "given the narrowing that has taken place with the request and its willingness to compensate Google for whatever burden that imposes."

<snip>

The new request substantially mitigates Google's concerns over trade secrets, Mr. Gidari said, adding that "99.99 percent of Google is unexposed, and this teeny sliver will tell them nothing." "This would have been a very different case if the government walked in the door and said, 'We need 50,000 U.R.L.'s and a thousand searches,' " Mr. Gidari said. "It's doubtful we would have been in court. We got to where we wanted."

<snip>

If a search query appeared to suggest a connection between a particular person and Osama bin Laden, the judge asked him, "are you telling me the government would ignore that and not use it?" Mr. McElvain assured him that the government would not. Mr. McElvain said at the hearing that the government would pay Google for the effort needed to put the information together. "We're very encouraged," said Nicole Wong, associate general counsel at Google. "At a minimum we have come a long way from the government's initial subpoena. If it had started this way, it would have been a very different discussion."

Still, Ms. Crawford said that even the relatively small amount of data demanded posed a troubling prospect. "The government has been able to commandeer private parties to assist it in its research, and the next request may be far broader," she said.

link: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/15/technology/15google.html?_r=1

[neuvocat]

1. I did a search on the judge.

Interesting stuff. I wonder how he'll like the fact that someone learned something about him he wasn't too fond of.

[Rosco T.]

2. elsewhere I read...

.. that google will give them the search terms, the URL's returned, but STRIP OUT the IP information of the originator of the search.

[linazelle]

3. Yes they are saying private info won't be turned over,,,,BUT

I always thought that the intent of this was to make a lot of info about BushCo disappear--for history's sake and all that. :sarcasm:

They want to ensure that all incriminating links are wiped out.

[hang a left]

4. This is at least worth an appeal.