Though Google has refused to comply with the government's request for search data, AOL, MSN and Yahoo admitted that they did comply and gave some data to the Justice Department, reports Red Herring. A Yahoo spokesperson said it provided data that company executives believed did not violate Yahoo's privacy guidelines. An AOL spokesperson said it provided a "generic list of aggregate and anonymous search terms." A Microsoft representative, too, said it gave search-term data but not information about the customers doing the searches.
Mark Cooper, director of research at the Consumer Federation of America, said there are business issues - in addition to the privacy concerns - that the portals must contend with.
"This is an interesting and worthwhile fight by Google," he said. "The interpretation of the law is very loose in the current administration, and Google's business is dependent upon people being willing to go on the web and look for stuff. Google's business thrives on the free flow of information, and eavesdropping is liable to put a chill on people using the Internet. That is not in Google's best long-term interests."
