Google = Evil - Google Turns IP Address Over to the Israeli Government
I’m pretty sure that they told us that their company philosophy is Don’t Be Evil. Listen up, Google: Turning over the IP addresses of a blogger is Evil. It is the tech equivalent of a journalist naming sources.
Google Voluntarily Provides Details Of Anonymous Blogger In Israel
Google has provided the IP address of an anonymous blogger to an Israeli court voluntarily as part of a defamation case.
The defamation case centers on allegations against three members of the Shaarei Tikva council posted on Blogger, including posts that suggested the council members took bribes, pretended to be disabled to gain tax advantages, and that the councilmen have links to organized crime. The councilmen asked the court to order Google to hand over the IP address details of the anonymous blogger but the court did not order Google to do so. Instead Google entered into an arrangement where by they would contact the blogger and give him or her 3 days to respond anonymously to the allegations. There was no response from the blogger so Google handed over the IP address to the court and plantiffs despite there being no legal requirement for them to do so.
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If pressured, will Google capitulate to the United States Government? Have they already? This practice is antithetical to a free and open press, and is most-assuredly Evil.
UPDATE:
Arrington has posted an update to the Google story that significantly releives many of my concerns. Phew! Read the update here.
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Read the updated post on TechCrunch, it includes a response from Google indicating that the court did indeed issue an official order after the blogger failed to respond.