It has just been revealed that Google has taken a huge hit on the stock market “… after it rebuffed a federal subpoena seeking data on consumer searches.  The Bush Administration says it just wants the info to support its push for on-line child-protection laws to crack down on porn.  Yahoo, AOL, and Microsoft have complied with the subpoenas.” (IBD’s Top Ten, Investor’s Business Daily, Monday special, January 23, 2006).

 Cheney_Scowl

   Uncle Sam wants you!

Here we go again, casting the widest possible net to catch a miniscule number of miscreants with total disregard for the vast numbers of uninvolved American citizens scooped up as well.  Or, worse yet, with the real intent of gathering that huge collateral data mass to profile information on vast numbers of unsuspecting American citizens.

Yayhoo, AhOL and Microsofty rolled over compliantly and forked over vast electronic audit trails that may be processed at lighting speeds to build a profile on you, even though the supposed intent of this fishing expedition has nothing to do with you.

Now you have to be afraid of inadvertently creating a profile as an “illegal enemy combatant” because you have researched the internet for a paper for a Political Science class you are taking.  BIG Brother is watching, and that will certainly have a chilling effect on the use of the internet for valid research and commerce.

Hang in there tough, Google.  It looks like the line of defense is now manned by the few,  the brave, the ethical in the private sector.