Google will have to turn at least some online search information over to the Department of Justice, U.S. District Court Judge James Ware said today in California, the Associated Press reports. Citing privacy and trade-secret concerns, Google has been resisting a subpoena, via which the government is seeking data to help revive a child-protection law intended to make online pornography more difficult to access.

The Justice Department argued it doesn't want personal information or data that might undermine business; it also decreased the amount of data it sought - from the original millions of search requests and web addresses to 50,000 addresses and 5,000 random searches.

Giving in to government intrusion ''is a slippery slope and it's a path we shouldn't go down,'' Google cofounder Sergey Brin told industry analysts earlier this month - a thought echoed by University of Connecticut law professor Paul Schiff Berman, who specializes in Internet law: "The erosion of privacy tends to happen incrementally."

Previous coverage:

- Google Fights DOJ Subpoena, May Face One from ACLU
- AT&T Sued for Helping NSA Spy on Citizens
- Google, Justice Department Prepare for Court Battle
- Outing Google's Dirty Little Secrets
- AOL, MSN, Yahoo Handed over Some Data to Feds
- Uncle Sam Wants Your Google Search Records