What are you searching for?

I'm glad Google stood up against the request this time, while not surprisingly, Yahoo and MSN (it seems MS is always on the wrong side) failed. The question, however, is what information Google has? Here is what Leslie Walker has to say about that.

"Our personal search histories are highly sensitive information -- and obviously open to misinterpretation -- because they offer such a unique view into what we are thinking."

"There is simply no telling how much long-term control we are giving up over our digital reputations in these still-early days of the Web."

"So if the government scares people into thinking more about their own Internet histories by slapping subpoenas on the search engines, maybe that's not a bad thing."

You may find another related blog from Danny Sulivan at the Search Engine Watch.

"...the privacy freakout about Google was based on lots of 'might dos' or 'could dos' rather than 'has done.'"

"...the bigger issue, ... trust. AOL, Microsoft and Yahoo DID NOT VIOLATE THE PRIVACY of any user by handing over this information. ... Privacy may not have been lost but trust was."

"The problem is that America was founded the principle of liberty. Stay out of my life, unless I'm doing something harmful to others. .... Don't suspect everyone, monitor everyone and assume everyone is guilty."

"I'd be happier if they (google) 'd shared with the world that they'd been subpoenaed back when it happened last year. "

"Google also looked to be negotiating on compliance. We don't have enough details to know why they ultimately didn't give in, but some changes, and perhaps they might have."