Federal prosecutors have asked Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and America Online to turn over two types of data: logs showing search terms used by people, and a list of Web sites indexed by the companies' search engines. To date Google has refused and is now going to court

The bigger implications in such are a case is... what access does the government have to our current online searches, what access should they have (if any) and what does this mean for our privacy now and in the future.

The problem I see with granting access of search engines logs to government departments is that the information is totally private. If they wish to go about catching criminals that's fine, but to put my private information under the microscope to do so is just not on...... Then of course there is the potential for misuse of such information also.

Every four years in Australia the government conducts a national survey for demographic purposes of which I have no problem. However if any government were to have access to your online search logs/information over a defined space of time they would in many cases have a complete eyes view of not only your private life but many of your business interests.

Nothing would be sacred, the books you read, the TV you watch, your political views and the list just gets bigger.

Let me state that if the government wishes for search logs of unlawful behavior, such as certain keywords and or websites, this I don't mind. However to ask for search logs of all users over a complete, day, week or month is something very different!

If this erosion of privacy were to start, where would it end?

I certainly think Google, on behalf of its clients who use their service (us) have done the right thing to not just hand over such information. It is diffidently an intrusion of privacy and should go no further.