by CIO Staff

Google Lawsuit to be Heard in Feb.

News
Jan 27, 20062 mins
IT Leadership

Google’s attempted dodge of the government’s request for millions of search terms will make its way into a federal court in San Jose, Calif. on February 27, CNET News.com reports.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge James Ware set the date for the hearing.  The court will attempt to determine whether or not Google will have to provide the records the Department of Justice (DOJ) has demanded, and in doing so, help the DOJ with an anti-pornography suit.

The DOJ asked for the same records from other Internet heavies like Yahoo, Microsoft and AOL; however, Google was the only company to refuse the request and fight the subpoena in court.

Last week, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said the DOJ would not roll over.  “This is important for the Department of Justice, and we will pursue this matter.”

The request has privacy advocates and some members of Congress calling foul, namely Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who said he planned to introduce legislation to curb the amount of records that websites like Google would retain.

Google will file its legal brief with arguments on February 6, and the DOJ will submit its reply one week later.

Read Google Defends Chinese Search Censorship and Google Will Censor Chinese Web Searches for more CIO coverage.

And for more on doing business in China check Executive Editor Chris Koch’s Making It in China.

-Al Sacco