The Bush administration’s attack on privacy

You’ve probably heard of a couple of such attacks, recently. But have you heard the latest one? They apparently want Google to disclose search data. Google is refusing.

The most worrying thing is that MSN and Yahoo! have already complied. Still feel comfortable using them?

Of course, the government doesn’t say it’s attacking privacy. It says it’s doing it “for the children”. In another blog of mine, I have written an article called People and they stated goals. It’s about how, by saying you’re doing something (whatever it is) for some noble cause, it apparently excuses anything you do, and demonizes anyone who criticizes you. That’s what’s happening here:

Jack Samad, senior vice president for the National Coalition for Protection of Children and Families, a Cincinnati, Ohio-based advocacy group, said search engines should be willing to help the Bush administration defend the law.

Samad said: “Young people are experiencing broken lives after being exposed to adult images and behaviours on the Internet. I’m disappointed Google did not want to exercise its good corporate branding to secure the protection of youth. I think [complying with the subpoena] would substantiate the basis of Copa if they get a free exchange of information on youthful use of the internet.”

But in which way would getting “millions of search records” help in that? That’s what they don’t say. And where does it end? Anyone can abuse a child at home, so why not install government cameras in every room of every single home?

I sometimes think you could get away with killing children by saying you were doing it “to protect the children”…

Related posts:

  1. Browsers and search engines
  2. More on Google and China
  3. Google and backlink updates
  4. The order of titles
  5. The video games industry fights back!

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Portugal