Okay, we've been mad at Google for their sleazy AdSense program which ultimately allows them to profit from blog advertising without actually paying bloggers who advertise for them. We understand: with their stock prices going through the roof, you gotta make money. Yeah, bullshit.
But, just when we were ready to shun Google, they came and reminded us why they aren't really evil. The Mercury News is reporting that Google's been fighting the certifiably evil Bush Justice Department who want some of that sweet Google data on what the American public has been searching for. Allegedly, old John Ashcroft wanted to revive a law which the Supreme Court struck down. Yeah, we don't understand either. Why are they devoting resources to a law that doesn't exist? Oh yeah, because they're Republicans.
But don't believe it. The subpoena for Google's databases isn't really about a dead law. And Ashcroft's successor Alberto Gonzalez isn't simply conducting statistical generalities to readdress the Supreme Court with. No, this is undoubtedly about mining web searches with corresponding IP addresses. In the hands of the Bush White House, nobody will be safe. This Justice Department demand is far more egregious a violation of our civil liberties than all the fascism of the Patriot Act. Such data can be used against political enemies very easily, and it's not just about pornography.
You may say that we're just being paranoid, that the subpoena doesn't include IP addresses, only URL's. We cannot know how this data will be transferred to the government. Such large scale databases will be difficult and perhaps costly to sort into non-intrusive data. Besides, why would they need search engine databases to determine whether porn sites are easily accessible to minors? Why not saddle up to a search engine and see for yourself? No, this is way too fishy.
At best, this move by the Justice Department is a dangerous foot in the door--and that's all the Republicans have ever needed to justify any crime they feel righteous enough to commit.
Google is doing the right thing, for all of us. Are all corporations this brave and this good? Well, no, apparently not. Every other search engine corporation rolled over for Ashcroft/Gonzalez and surrendered the information which we entrusted to them. AOL, Yahoo, MSN... they all sold us out. Fuck those bastards.