The government seeking search data issue has been batted around at dozens of sites and forums, but since we're generally a "dig up new information" type of spot, I haven't mentioned it here. However, I ran across this article at Slate by Tim Wu (a Columbia law professor) today and loved it - Keeping Secrets - A simple prescription for keeping Google's records out of government hands.
...But the big news for most Americans shouldn't be that the administration wants yet more confidential records. It should be the revelation that every single search you've ever conducted—ever—is stored on a database, somewhere. Forget e-mail and wiretaps—for many of us, there's probably nothing more embarrassing than the searches we've made over the last decade. Google's campus LCD sounds like it's just fun and games, but when a search can be linked to you (through the IP address recorded by Google), that's a lot less fun. And when, as we're seeing, it can all be demanded by the government, that's no fun at all...
...That's why, for example, China pays so much attention to controlling what you can find using its search engines. The whole point of Chinese media control is to promote the sense that you are being watched, even if you aren't. That's not a feeling Americans should want or become accustomed to. We should want a country where we can assume that most of what we say disappears into thin air or cyberspace, because in the end that's the only way to stay sane.
Recent events suggest that relying on the present administration to protect such basic freedoms may be, shall we say, unpromising. Other governments are just as bad if not worse. That's why the public's demand must be of Google—not the state. It should be that Google please stop keeping quite so much information attached to our IP addresses; please modify logging practices so that all identifying information is stripped. And please run history's greatest "search and delete," right now, and take out the IP addresses from every file that contains everyone's last five years of searches...
Way to go, Tim; I couldn't agree more. As much as personalized search is valuable and the data can be used by Google to make a better product, the risk is cleraly just too great. The search giant has a clear way out of this problem and a way to make even deeper gains in market share - delete personal associations with search data.
Anyone see a reason why this simple solution wouldn't be effective?
>>Google please stop keeping quite so much information attached to our IP addresses; please modify logging practices so that all identifying information is stripped. And please run history's greatest "search and delete," right now, and take out the IP addresses from every file that contains everyone's last five years of searches...
Nice thought, but it is never going to happen. Would it be effective? Sure. But efficacy and reality aren't going to meet in that scenario.
We need to take responsibility for our own privacy, not demand that others protect it. Aksing Google to protect our privacy would quickly make qui custodiet ipsos custodes? a relevant question.
Asking Google, or the government, or any entity for that matter, to protect our privacy is absurd given that most of us give very little thought to protecting our privacy, and even less action.
So how do you suggest we protect our privacy then? Only use our friend's computer to get online? Learn to cloak our ip address? Become hackers and hack google to erase our ip info? Seems over the top unless you are using the internet to commit federal crimes!
I'd rather not have someone monitoring everything I search. Seems like an invasion of privacy to me.
Reminder: the current request for information does not involve private information only a list of search terms.
This is probably why all the other search engines complied. Hats off to Google though. They have an image to uphold as being the leader that they do not give out information because they don't want users to percieve that their private data is being given out. I don't know if they will delete any personal information like ip addresses or not.
Storing it in databases aside, all ip's are logged in the server logs. I doubt they would be willing to go through those and delete them. All your internet activity is stored somewhere whether people know about it or not.
The legal issue (in my non-lawyerly opinion) is whether the government has the right to force companies to assist them in criminal cases and pursuits to which they are not a party.
The more important issue in my mind (which is probably not enough to sway the Supreme Court) is the privacy one.
I think the idea that the government can force Google to turn over user data in this case (which doesn’t even involve a specific criminal case) is very dangerous. Not only is it wrong on principle, but it jeopardizes the authenticity of the Internet. First they ask for non user specific searches… but what will come next? You guys are right – the big concern is linking keyword searches to individuals, and I think Google et al should commit to not linking the two bits of information (except when users specifically opt in), to reduce the chance of privacy violation.
In the mean time, anyone know of a good proxy tool?
Brandon - I think a government subpoena could still get to it that way. They simply need to discard the information and use it anonymously, IMO.
I am not one to be paranoid and have nothing to fear from anyone getting my search information but there will be a LOT of people worried about this.
Its enough of a reason to use proxys with a few stops in them, ditch the gmail, not use analytics and just generally start watching your back.
The fact that big brother is watching has just come public and this is the start of something big.
I would love to hear that Google stripped the IP information and replaced it with a unique user ID of some type. This way they can still tie information per user, and at the same time keep it impersonal. I don't see why this wouldn't work out great for everyone...