The US vs. Google lawsuit is looming. At first sight the issue at stake is the US government’s right to demand US media companies to provide data about the aggregated habits of US consumers. In the background, the issue seems to be if Google, who is actively cooperating with the Chinese government in supressing dissenting voices, has two spines: one made of steel in its US body and one of wax for its Chinese avatar.
U.S., Google Set to Face Off in Court – Yahoo! News
SAN FRANCISCO – The Bush administration will renew its effort to find out what people have been looking for on Google Inc.’s Internet-leading search engine, continuing a legal showdown over how much of the Web’s vast databases should be shared with the government.
ADVERTISEMENTLawyers for the Justice Department and Google are expected to elaborate on their opposing views in a San Jose hearing scheduled Tuesday before U.S. District Court Judge James Ware.
It will mark the first time the Justice Department and Google have sparred in court since the government subpoenaed the Mountain-View, Calif.-based company last summer in an effort to obtain a long list of search requests and Web site addresses.
The government believes the requested information will help bolster its arguments in another case in Pennsylvania, where the Bush administration hopes to revive a law designed to make it more difficult for children to see online pornography.