Gov't. Seeks Google Records In Porn Investigation

Jan. 19 - KGO (KGO) -- A major battle is shaping up, pitting the U.S. Attorney General against Google, the widely used Internet search engine. It centers on people searching the Internet for x-rated material.

Millions of people use Google every day to get information. For example, to research the duck-billed platypus. But some also use Google to search for sex sites. That's what the Department of Justice is researching.

It's trying to defend a 1998 law cracking down on adult sites that was struck down.

However, Google has been ignoring a subpoena served last August, asking for a random sampling of one million search terms over a week's time.

Kurt Opsahl, Electronic Frontier Foundation: "It reveals a lot about you -- what you're interested in, what you worry about, what you enjoy -- and those are very personal details of a person's life. It's important to protect that information from being snooped upon by the government. You don't want big brother looking over your shoulder."

The search term "sex sites" turns up 63.6 million results on Google.

Google says privacy is not the issue. A company statement says, "their demand for information overreaches" and "we intend to resist their motion vigorously."

That stand is being applauded even by a group that says it usually takes more conservative views.

Sonia Arrison, Pacific Research Institute: "Not only are we being spied upon without knowledge but now the federal government is trying to get more power to do it even with our knowledge and with the consent of American companies that have grown because we live in a free and democratic society."

Yahoo says it complied with the subpoena, but did not provide any personal information. AOL says it did not comply. MSN would not confirm or deny if it supplied what the Department of Justice wanted.

Google is not saying how it's going to respond to this latest Department of Justice filing. It will end up in district court in San Jose soon.

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