Google Balks at Government Request for User Information

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Laura B. Weiss -- School Library Journal, 1/26/2006

Google on January 18 rejected a request by a federal court to hand over the search records of millions of its users. The demand was made by the Justice Department as part of its effort to defend the 1998 Child Online Protection Act, which would impose harsh penalties on owners of Web sites that display material considered harmful to children.

Google's decision to rebuff the government comes in the wake of other privacy battles, including whether Congress should reauthorize the controversial Patriot Act, which allows law enforcement agents to demand library patron records.

Google has refused the government's request for records since August, 2005 and contends that the privacy of millions of its users would be at risk. Other major search engines—America Online, Yahoo!, and MSN—have agreed to turn over records.