MSN And Yahoo Give In To Government Pressure

As I posted here yesterday, Google was served and is fighting a subpoena demanding the search database, and a random 1 million Website (URL) addresses. Now it appears there are two search engines that have complied with the request from the Justice Department. eWeek.com is reporting Yahoo Inc. said that it recently turned over information about its users searching habits to federal investigators, a startling admission that has touched off a new round of privacy concerns. Aside from Yahoo, a source familiar with the matter said that Microsoft Corp.'s MSN unit has also cooperated. Well it sure looks like the U.S. DOJ is hellbent on knowing each and everything internet users do on their computers in the privacy of their own homes. Now they are still claiming this is being done for the protection of children from pornography and/or predators. If we could really trust their motives I am sure most of us would have no problem with that but given their recent and past history of domestic espionage I wouldn't count on that being the reason. The eWeek article goes on to give us official responses from MSN and Yahoo. As was pointed out in yesterday's post, the DOJ wants the information in an appeal of the Supreme Court's decision to strike down a 1998 Internet law to protect children from stumbling onto inappropriate material on the Web. Aside from test results, the government also plans a review of how often Yahoo search users encounter pornography. In other words they want to look at the data base where ANYONE'S identity could appear not just limited to suspected internet child predators. This sure looks like an overreach by the government to me. Also according to eWeek, Yahoo stated We complied on a limited basis and did not provide any personally identifiable information". In an email sent to eWeek, an MSN spokeperson stated "We can't comment on specific government inquiries," she wrote in an email. "It is our policy to respond to legal requests in a very responsive and timely manner in full compliance with applicable law," her e-mail continued. "MSN takes the safety of its customers very seriously and is committed to providing a safe experience for consumers." This sure doesn't seem to give much support to Google's resistance to comply. As for Microsofts' MSN division, it is not surprising, since they went along with the Chinese Government and became actively complicit in the censoring of Chinese Blogs. The BBC report on this is available here. As for Yahoo, weren't they the one's last summer who refused to give a grieving family of a soldier killed in Iraq his emails to remember him by? They used "privacy" concerns for their refusal. I guess privacy is insignificant if it involves big corporation and big intrusive Government crawling into bed with each other. More available at eWeek.