[IP] more on I strongly afree with this djf Google search and seizure

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Phil Karn <karn@ka9q.net>
Date: December 3, 2005 3:24:11 PM EST
To: dave@farber.net
Cc: ip@v2.listbox.com
Subject: Re: [IP] I strongly afree with this djf Google search and  
seizure


> Google's internal slogan is, charmingly, ''Don't be evil." Well, the
> interaction of cyber-snooping and the unreasonable searches  
> authorized by
> the Patriot Act is pure evil.

Instead of getting mad at Google, why don't we get even?

Here are two simple ideas that any good coder could turn out in an  
afternoon:

1. Write and disseminate a little daemon that makes randomize queries  
to Google from your computer. Every few minutes to an hour (i.e., at  
random times) it would send a Google query with search terms randomly  
chosen from a large dictionary. This would pollute Google's logs and  
create reasonable doubt if you are later accused of entering queries  
for, say, the words "neck" and "snap".

2. Write and disseminate a web proxy filter that would route all  
Google queries through the TOR (The Onion Router) network and strip  
off all tracking mechanisms from the results. This may be a more  
palatable alternative to routing all your web surfing through TOR,  
which can be quite slow.

I consider it unproductive to scream at Google, as has become so  
popular of late. It is also misguided to call for laws to limit what  
they can do with our search queries. Even if Google were to say that  
they no longer keep personally-identifiable search queries, there  
would be no way to verify it. And any new privacy law for search  
engines would surely be riddled with enormous loopholes for  
government abuse.

As with confidentiality, the *only* solution here is technological.  
So let's get coding.

--Phil


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