Child Porn on Google

This is a good example of the need for people to read more than the headlines.  Today, I received a comment  from a family friend, “I hear Google is in trouble with the government for child porn.”  ACK!!!! 
I always say, “It doesn’t matter what they say, as long as they’re talking about you…” well, this is a situation where that may not be true.

If you read beyond the headlines you’ll see that Google is the hero of this story trying to protect the rights of all internet users.  The Bush administration isn’t actually looking for information which would help them track users who search for porn. They’re looking for information to show trends. They want to prove that internet filters aren’t working.  While from their view point this seems like a reasonable request it’s not Google’s responsibility or mandate to provide this kind of information. The government could always contract with companies like Claria to spy on user habits.  (*tongue in cheek)

Google could easily have complied, as others have, to this subpoena for information but they didn’t.  Google is a privacy time bomb and this effort makes a huge statement about trusting Google. I fear it’s only the beginning of how the government could use internet tracking to abuse individual rights.

This is a big story that won’t go away.  There will be an impact on Google’s worldwide image. For those who support Google, they’ll continue to use their favorite search engine.  For those who don’t read beyond the headlines, it will hurt Google’s image.  Either way, it should make everyone aware, individual privacy isn't what it used to be.

* Tongue in cheek: To keep yourself from laughing at a bad time, you can thrust your tongue into your cheek. Back in the 1700's, this was used to signal contempt for another person. Over the years the meaning changed to be more humor related.