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Should Google be forced to hand over data?

the buzz Readers weigh in on whether Google should be compelled to turn over search data to the federal government.

2 min read

Google's refusal to comply with a request by federal prosecutors for some of its search data has embroiled the company in a heated debate over online privacy. As part of an investigation into the Child Online Protection Act, the government requested search terms and URLs from four major search engines. Google was the only one to refuse, and a federal judge today said he would likely support the Justice Department in its demands. The DOJ has drastically reduced the amount of information it's asking for and has agreed to compensate Google for the time its developers spend on the project. But the company says the government has other options for obtaining search data and that asking for search keywords infringes on user privacy. Should Google be compelled to give up its search-term data?

Should Google be forced to hand over data?

Google's refusal to comply with a request by federal prosecutors for some of its search data has embroiled the company in a heated debate over online privacy. As part of an investigation into the Child Online Protection Act, the government requested search terms and URLs from four major search engines. Google was the only one to refuse, and a federal judge today said he would likely support the Justice Department in its demands. The DOJ has drastically reduced the amount of information it's asking for and has agreed to compensate Google for the time its developers spend on the project. But the company says the government has other options for obtaining search data and that asking for search keywords infringes on user privacy. Should Google be compelled to give up its search-term data?