Google search and the US gov't

[rabiesdvm]

Right up front, I am not searching for kiddie porn or directions on how to build a bomb, I just have fundamental concerns about privacy.

Since the US government has decided to try to obtain information about searchs from Google, it makes me think about using searches outside of the US. If I searched using Google.ca or some other non-US Google site (google.brazil, google.paraguay, whatever) would that be out of reach of the US government?

I don't know if those sites are hosted outside of the US or if that data is still run off servers within the States.

Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[doanster]

Well, in the news a few days ago, Google has restricted the search results of google.cn (China.. hmm I wonder why hehe)... maybe suggesting that it's different for each country's version??

 

[DBSX]

I'll start by saying I admitedly don't know all that much about how the internet works in the background, but you did ask for "ideas" so I feel safe posting mine

Unless you can connect directly to the "external" network wouldn't the data still have to use servers/data paths that are "accessible" (one way or another) to the US governement? Again, I might be way wrong, partially wrong, or even may be right. Just my idea. (Someone will correct me!)

\Dan

 

[Slicedbread]

If you have fundamental security concerns then I suggest you stop using the internet because your ISP has a record of sites you have accessed stored plus your name, address, and SSN.

[US] wants:

* A list of terms entered into the search engine during an unspecified single week, potentially tens of millions of queries

* A million randomly selected web addresses from various Google databases.

They want a single week, from like a year ago so you are out of luck there. They arent looking for you, stop being paranoid.

 

[kamper]

I've got to figure that whether or not the US goverment can get at the info by requesting it out in the open is somewhat irrelevant. Google is not a military power and has no intelligence department (that we know of :evil: ). I'm sure it would be child's play for one of the agencies to get inside google and get the information by less honest means if they really wanted it. That has the added feature that it doesn't really matter what country they do it in.