more on Subpoena for 1 million random web searches

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Dana Blankenhorn <dana () a-clue com>
Date: January 20, 2006 3:18:37 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] Subpoena for 1 million random web searches

A guy who wrote a book on Google was on CNBC today (I want to say  
David Vise http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/055380457X/qid=1137788170/ 
sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-4841783-9926447? 
s=books&v=glance&n=283155) and said that the subpoena doesn't really  
want Personally Identifiable Information, just numbers to  
substantiate a point in an ongoing court case.

He also claims there's a guy named Mark Cutts at Google who is known  
as the "porn cookie guy." He gives away his wife's home-baked cookies  
to folks there who can help him identify porn sites the engine can de- 
list.

Of course the same character claimed the USA Patriot Act covers this  
when no one at the time had any idea it covered porn and ordinary  
crime. Maybe he was right on that, I don't know.


Dana Blankenhorn   dana () voic us
Editor: voic.us   http://www.voic.us



----- Original Message ----- From: "David Farber" <dave () farber net>
To: <ip () v2 listbox com>
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 2:40 PM
Subject: [IP] Subpoena for 1 million random web searches


> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Sean Donelan <sean () DONELAN COM>
> Date: January 19, 2006 2:54:04 PM EST
> To: CYBERIA-L () LISTSERV AOL COM
> Subject: [CYBERIA] Subpoena for 1 million random web searches
> Reply-To: Law & Policy of Computer Communications <CYBERIA-  
> L () LISTSERV AOL COM>
>
> Is this the very definition of fishing for evidence.  How do  
> wiretap  laws
> apply when you don't even know who's data you are subpoening?  How  
> does
> the government intend to notify the individuals their data was   
> obtained by
> the government?  If they did discover illegal activity, can they  
> use the
> randomly collected data as evidence?  What is a reasonable expectation
> of privacy when Google used to publically display the contents of
> some in-progress searches on the wall of their corporate headquarters?
> Could the government just put an agent in Google's lobby and take  
> notes
> of what appeared on the Google search wall under a form of "in plain
> sight" rule?
>
> http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/13657303.htm
>
>   In court papers filed in U.S. District Court in San Jose, Justice
>   Department lawyers revealed that Google has refused to comply with a
>   subpoena issued last year for the records, which include a  
> request  for 1
>   million random Web addresses and records of all Google searches   
> from any
>   one-week period.
>
>
> **********************************************************************
> For Listserv Instructions, see http://www.lawlists.net/cyberia
> Off-Topic threads: http://www.lawlists.net/mailman/listinfo/cyberia-ot
> Need more help? Send mail to: Cyberia-L-Request () listserv aol com
> **********************************************************************
>
>
> -------------------------------------
> You are subscribed as dana () a-clue com
> To manage your subscription, go to
>  http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip
>
> Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting- 
> people/



-------------------------------------
You are subscribed as lists-ip () insecure org
To manage your subscription, go to
 http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip

Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/