Google Defies Bush Administration's Search-No-Evil Subpoena

Hosted by
The Bush Justice Department has subpoenaed four Internet search giants for information on what users search for on the web. Yahoo, Microsoft and AOL have all complied, but Google has refused to supply information about millions of search queries by its users. While the government says it's trying to protect children from the booming business of online pornography, privacy advocates worry that the request may set a precedent for more invasive Big Brother-type demands. Just how private is the information? How much do search engines know about their users? What right does the government have to know? Sara Terry guest hosts. (An extended version of this segment aired earlier today on To the Point.)Reporter's Notebook: Lakers' Kobe Bryant Makes Hoops HistoryHitting shots from all over the basketball court last night, Lakers' star Kobe Bryant got closer than anyone else in more than 40 years to Wilt Chamberlain's record 100-point game. Will Bryant's record 81-point night, the second-highest point total in NBA history, help him score his way back into the hearts of Lakers fans? We ask T.J. Simers, sports columnist for the Los Angeles Times and commentator for XTRA Sports 570.
The Bush Justice Department has subpoenaed four Internet search giants for information on what users search for on the web. Yahoo, Microsoft and AOL have all complied, but Google has refused to supply information about millions of search queries by its users. While the government says it's trying to protect children from the booming business of online pornography, privacy advocates worry that the request may set a precedent for more invasive Big Brother-type demands. Just how private is the information? How much do search engines know about their users? What right does the government have to know? Sara Terry guest hosts. (An extended version of this segment aired earlier today on To the Point.)
  • Reporter's Notebook: Lakers' Kobe Bryant Makes Hoops History
    Hitting shots from all over the basketball court last night, Lakers' star Kobe Bryant got closer than anyone else in more than 40 years to Wilt Chamberlain's record 100-point game. Will Bryant's record 81-point night, the second-highest point total in NBA history, help him score his way back into the hearts of Lakers fans? We ask T.J. Simers, sports columnist for the Los Angeles Times and commentator for XTRA Sports 570.
Guest host Sara Terry is an award-winning writer and photographer. Her latest photo-documentary project is Aftermath: Bosnia's Long Road to Peace.

Justice Department

Google

Children's Online Protection Act (COPA)

Anonymizer online privacy protection

Tor anonymous Internet communication system

Congressman Markey to introduce legislation on Internet privacy, Reuters on

Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant

LA Times article on Bryant's 81-point night

Credits

Host:

Warren Olney

Producer:

Frances Anderton