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April 21, 2005

Be Careful On The Internet - New Google Service Has Consequences

Google Inc. is experimenting with a new feature(activate "My Search History") that enables the users of its online search engine to see all of their past search requests and results, creating a computer peephole that could prove as embarrassing as it is helpful.

- Brent at Democracy Project
Being a "virtual" organization of sorts, with our Board of Directors and staff literally scattered across the United States, interconnected by the millions of miles of fiber optic cable underneath our streets, Democracy Project is optimistic about the role technology can play towards the promotion of democracy and human dignity.

Therefore, the news by Google that they are launching a service that will enable users to save their past searches, using a login and password, could have dramatic and remarkable effect for those like myself who work with folks in Wilmington, Delaware on a near-daily basis. It also would help me leave a paper trail for my colleague Win Myers whenever I do searches on a matter relevant to our business.

However, as an attorney, and one that is skeptical of government and the court system at that, I must make each and every one of you aware that the Federal Rules of Evidence have enough holes and exceptions that in the instance that you or your business are ever brought into court for a civil or criminal matter, it is probable that your Google search activity could be subpoenaed as either admissible evidence or be brought in under the hearsay exception as a business record.

Source - Democracy Project

Some privacy rights folks aren't too happy about the new Google feature. Pam Dixon of the World Privacy Forum is worried that the service will make it easier for mischief makers, snoops and perhaps even the government to get their hands on a user's entire search history. She says that "It's really a bad idea." She suggests that If you need to keep track of your past searches, use a notebook - it would be a lot more private and a lot less risky.

Posted by Hyscience at April 21, 2005 2:48 PM

• Be Careful On The Internet - New Google Service Has Consequences - Apr 21, 2005