Comments on: What's the Big Deal?

By: Max Worton

Max Worton — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:00:10 +0000

A technical view from an Search engine optimization company

n the Google v. DOJ case, I cerainly agree its it's aslippery slope. and the subpoena, cerainly hints there's something else at stake. Great article.

http://www.webefforts.co.uk

By: Michiel

Michiel — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 01:06:35 +0000

Google needs its own country.

By: Rich

Rich — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 17:11:15 +0000

Sandy’s comments are unfortunately correct. It’s always easy to find people who are comfortable with government intrusion, since they assume that it won’t impact them. For the same reason, you had significant numbers of people who supported government supported racism in the 50′s and 60′s, since these people didn’t think that they would be impacted. It takes a while for people to understand that “it doesn’t impact me” doesn’t equal “right.”

By: sandy

sandy — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 05:55:33 +0000

Joe H: I am not speaking for ANYone. I am just giving a POV that I may or may not agree with. Kind of a Devil's Advocate but less sophisticated. I live in SV and am obviously ONline.

I feel it is hilarious and you may agree (as I just read on your blog) that all these self rightoues 'technocrats' SEE ABOVE COMMENTS feel soooo strongly about the government (which really is only interested --at this point-- in bombs and porn) knowing the content of their searching yet LOVES the idea of a megalomaniacal corporation having the same data. BELLY LAUGH, ROTFLMA hilarious.

Said corp TRULY wants to know EVERYTHING about you and NOT because they care or are your friend.

WAKE UP SV LEMMINGS!, Its not the government you should be worried about:-)

Peace Out! S

By: Joe Hunkins

Joe Hunkins — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 01:26:58 +0000

Sid: ....I believe very strongly in personal privacy. Almost nutty about it...

Many are nutty about it and that's the challenge. No sane person argues for ZERO censorship of all expression. Thus it's where, not if, we draw the line on the slippery censorship slope.

Sandy's speaking for the majority of OFFline Americans, and regardless of one's view about this particular circumstance we are not going to get much support from mainstream America in this round of the privacy battle.

By: Sid Steward

Sid Steward — Sun, 22 Jan 2006 16:20:07 +0000

Sid brings up the key question - how much privacy protection is too much?

Not sure how I brought that up, but feel free to run with it. For the record, I believe very strongly in personal privacy. Almost nutty about it.

By: Stewart

Stewart — Sun, 22 Jan 2006 03:36:10 +0000

And I thought Jacque Chirac was mad to suggest that we needed a European search engine last week, it doesn’t seem so mad anymore…

By: sandy

sandy — Sat, 21 Jan 2006 18:00:31 +0000

John,

You are a super smart guy but if you think this looks good to Joe and Jane Sixpack, you are sorely mistaken. Sometimes, folks in SF think everybody should be allowed to do anything no matter what.

Most people in the world believe Child Porn should be stopped and this is the wrong issue to start the standard (and Very Tired) slippery slope arguments. Google associating its corporate brand with protection of Child Porn...What a --potentially- Huge Mistake.

Good Luck Googlers! You have officially entered the Government Sites, and no one in America is interested in protecting a bunch of Cocksure Billionaires.

Believe Dat!

Keep up the good work, John!

By: Sam Sethi

Sam Sethi — Sat, 21 Jan 2006 09:14:25 +0000

The tail that wags the dog.
Microsoft were always going to comply. Ever since the DOJ (tail)changed Microsoft from being important to impotent, Microsoft (Dog) has never had the same bark or bite in the market. Like a trained government puppy they were always going to rollover because they fear the DOJ coming back.

This whole FBI question goes to the heart of the issues raised by Steve Gilmore concerning digital identity and "attention clickstreams".

Who's data is it anyway? Mine or theirs? Google has made a lot of money from selling MY clickstream to advertisiers in exchange for a free search engine which is why MSN is so keen to get into the search advertising game now.

But has anyone here ever really read the license agreement and privacy policy for Google, Yahoo or MSN? Can I request that they delete my history file at any time? (clickstream from their records)NO!

To make matters worse has anyone here ever downloaded their respective desktop search tools? Again the clickstream data from the desktop search is certainly upload by Google and stated clearly in their policy agreement which I am sure you all read before installing the application.

I am now checking the policies for MSN and Yahoo but expect to find the same (lack of) privacy policy.

What next - will the FBI ask Amazon what books I have bought just in case I bought something they deem is not suitable reading or will they ask Ebay what items I wanted to buy or sell or ask Expedia what holiday destinations I wanted to look at etc etc.

So the next time we complain that the Chinese government violates its citizens rights by resticting their internet access, remember this as the day we lost our privacy. Or did that happen in 1984?

By: Don Dodge

Don Dodge — Sat, 21 Jan 2006 03:39:35 +0000

The expressed purpose of the government's request was to estimate how much pornography shows up in the searches that children might do. How they could determine which searches were done by children and which searches were done by adults is a mystery. There are serious privacy and legal issues with this request. But in the digital age there is very little privacy.

Bill Gates and other executives at Microsoft have had all of their email captured by legal teams for various law suits at one time or another. Bill Gates once said "We live the observed life". Translation...assume that everything you say, write, or do will be reviewed by a team of lawyers...with the worst of intentions.

I wrote a blog on the subject of privacy, the limits of presidential power, and how judge Alito's supreme court nomination might effect decisions on this subject. You can read the whole thing here http://dondodge.typepad.com/the_next_big_thing/2006/01/living_the_obse.html