Google turns the privacy spotlight on others with the Government Requests Tool
Posted by Lauren Potgieter on 23 Apr 2010 | Tagged as: Search Engine News
The issue of Google privacy is not a new one and there is no doubt about that. Google seems to find themselves constantly in the news concerning some or other privacy clause and now they seem to be turning the tables and shifting the bright, glaring spotlight away from their own faces. Google are known for coming up with new ways in which to push the boundaries of privacy for them and others and now Google focusing on government officials in what I can only see as a bit of an expose of sorts.
In their efforts to enhance free expression on the internet, Google have recently announced on their blog that they are intending to live up to this conduct and turned the privacy issue on its head by introducing a Government Requests Tool that lets the public get just a little closer to the privacy of what government will do in order to protect themselves. The tool, known as the Government Requests Tool allows you to see the requests that Google receive from Governments worldwide concerning privacy issues such as takedown notices and removal requests.
The Government Requests Tool is kind of like having a sneak peak at what Google receives from Governments around the world concerning privacy matters. You can see the information removal requests as well as requests for individual information about Google users. Google have backed up their decision to reveal this information (which they always do) and have said that they want to reveal this privacy to the public that has been previously hidden in the past, therefore making themselves “transparent” Google says that they are revealing as much information as possible with the Government Requests Tool which honestly includes not a lot of information at all in relation to details. Google claim that most of these requests are legitimate and Google, in accordance with their own privacy loyalties, offer over the information needed whilst still protecting their users.
Government privacy requests are only shown by the Government Requests Tool on Google if there are more than ten requests for that particular country. Government in the USA has been asking for removals and information for many years now and many of their removal requests come from Youtube. There is however sites that Google have the authority to delete and pages such as child pornography will be removed by Google when found as there is not a need for government encouragement or privacy restrictions, even though government do request the removal of these pages. Google hope that by implementing the Government Requests Tool, they will reveal to the public the issue of online censorship as well as privacy issues.
It seems as if Google is doing this in order to gain some popularity – like the little kid in the school yard that has been bullied into being the whistle blower. But the bully itself is also being reveled in all its glory and there is no harm in that. Many feel however, that Google is contradicting itself as it does not consider the privacy of its users as a top priority. As well as some of Google’s other recent revelations, there is not much functionality to the release of the Government Requests Tool but Google see as Google does. Google privacy will continue to be a touchy subject for years but as it attempts to reveal its transparency, some of Google’s issues are beginning to become just as transparent.
