On Thursday, Google was subpoenaed by a federal judge to turn over a week's worth of search queries in a case that doesn't directly involve the search giant. Google promptly refused the request,
saying it would "vigorously" fight efforts by the Bush administration to use the company's data in its investigation. The administration is trying to revive an Internet child protection law overturned
by the Supreme Court two years ago. The government says it needs Google's data to determine how often pornography appears in online searches. According to court documents, Google opposes the move on
a variety of grounds, saying not only is it not a party to the lawsuit, but overturning the data would also violate the privacy rights of its users and reveal the company's trade secrets. Analysts say
the idea that massive databases can be overturned to anyone with a subpoena is exactly the kind of privacy nightmare Internet users have long feared. If Google loses the fight, they said, Internet
users will be forced to think twice before using search engines.
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