Google subpoenaed for queries and how to stop it - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

phathom · 01-30-2006, 08:41 PM

Ok, if you don't know, the US government is subpoenaing all the major search engines (msn, yahoo, google, ect.) for logs of their searches, cookie records, ect. Microsoft and yahoo has handed them over no questions asked. Google however is puting up a fight, and protecting it's users privacy in the first place. First off, the government doesn't have a right (then again they say they have whatever rights they feel like anyway) to what people are searching, second off, what would they do with the information? In addition to that, they are also subpoenaing googles gmail records as well, now I may be a little conservative here, but even though I don't use gmail, I wouldn't like the government just freely going through my email just because it says it has the right to now. Google being the strong and sensible company that it is is also saying no to that as well.

HERE'S WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP

Now the government is asking for 1 million search entries randomly sampled from a weeks period after the subpoena is won. What we can do for that is to flood google with worthless, meaningless searches that are in no way incriminating to anyone with the searches or the results. What I suggest is that if it is one, we all run a script from our computers which will put in fake searches oh say 1000 times or so each. I have devised a script so far, but need some help on it.

I downloaded a free program called nircmd and put it in the same file as the bat file. the bat file I have so far is this.

cd..
cd program files
cd internet explorer
iexplore http://www.google.com/search?q=jesus
cd..
cd..
cd jesus
nircmd.exe win close class "IEFrame"

The folder is named jesus and is in the root of my drive, hence all the cd in it. It opens it fine, only problem is the bat file just stops after it opens ie, and doesn't get to the part where it closes the ie windows. I plan on having this loop like 1000 times after fixing this bug. Any help and support is much appreciated, remember it's for your privacy too.

Martian · 01-30-2006, 09:00 PM

This is ridiculous. Google's right to put up a fight.

However, your batch file effectively just wastes your bandwidth. Google receives somewhere on the order of 110 million search queries per day. If you can get about 10 000 people running the same batch file in the same day you can sway the statistics, but a few dozen or even a few thousand aren't really going to make that much of a dent.

Aside from that, even if you did get your 10 000 people behind it, that's not really helping Google; all it's doing is adding to their operating costs. Extra bandwidth and server load ends up costing them money.

This is a fight best left to the lawyers.

meanSpleen · 01-30-2006, 09:12 PM

Wouldn't hammering the servers be considered a Denial Of Service attack, and be illegal anyway? And I agree with Martian on the extra banwidth/money issue as well. We're really not helping Google.

Besides, I for one have looked up some pretty bad stuff for pure research reasons to familiarize with the issues or to figure out what it all means. I doubt they will ever find me or can legally accuse me of ____ unless I actively pursue it in a harmful way.

Plaid13 · 01-31-2006, 02:35 AM

omg they might find out about all the times i searched for cows and goats and other assorted sexy farm animal pictures!

spindles · 01-31-2006, 08:56 PM

regardless of why you want to do it and back to the batch file question
- can't you just throw "start" before the iexplore thing to make the batch file continue running?

e.g.

start iexplore http://www.google.com/search?q=jesus

phathom · 01-31-2006, 09:04 PM

true, maybe it wouldn't be helping them out, but it would be protecting some privacy of others, but the numbers of those doing it would have to be pretty staggering to make a dent, ah well, I guess it's the thought that counts, right?

01-30-2006, 08:41 PM	#1 (permalink)
phathom Crazy	Google subpoenaed for queries and how to stop it Ok, if you don't know, the US government is subpoenaing all the major search engines (msn, yahoo, google, ect.) for logs of their searches, cookie records, ect. Microsoft and yahoo has handed them over no questions asked. Google however is puting up a fight, and protecting it's users privacy in the first place. First off, the government doesn't have a right (then again they say they have whatever rights they feel like anyway) to what people are searching, second off, what would they do with the information? In addition to that, they are also subpoenaing googles gmail records as well, now I may be a little conservative here, but even though I don't use gmail, I wouldn't like the government just freely going through my email just because it says it has the right to now. Google being the strong and sensible company that it is is also saying no to that as well. HERE'S WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP Now the government is asking for 1 million search entries randomly sampled from a weeks period after the subpoena is won. What we can do for that is to flood google with worthless, meaningless searches that are in no way incriminating to anyone with the searches or the results. What I suggest is that if it is one, we all run a script from our computers which will put in fake searches oh say 1000 times or so each. I have devised a script so far, but need some help on it. I downloaded a free program called nircmd and put it in the same file as the bat file. the bat file I have so far is this. cd.. cd program files cd internet explorer iexplore http://www.google.com/search?q=jesus cd.. cd.. cd jesus nircmd.exe win close class "IEFrame" The folder is named jesus and is in the root of my drive, hence all the cd in it. It opens it fine, only problem is the bat file just stops after it opens ie, and doesn't get to the part where it closes the ie windows. I plan on having this loop like 1000 times after fixing this bug. Any help and support is much appreciated, remember it's for your privacy too. __________________ -snooch to the nooch

01-30-2006, 09:00 PM	#2 (permalink)
Martian Young Crumudgeon Location: Canada	This is ridiculous. Google's right to put up a fight. However, your batch file effectively just wastes your bandwidth. Google receives somewhere on the order of 110 million search queries per day. If you can get about 10 000 people running the same batch file in the same day you can sway the statistics, but a few dozen or even a few thousand aren't really going to make that much of a dent. Aside from that, even if you did get your 10 000 people behind it, that's not really helping Google; all it's doing is adding to their operating costs. Extra bandwidth and server load ends up costing them money. This is a fight best left to the lawyers. __________________ I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said - Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

01-30-2006, 09:12 PM	#3 (permalink)
meanSpleen Squid hat! Location: A Few Miles Away From Halx	Wouldn't hammering the servers be considered a Denial Of Service attack, and be illegal anyway? And I agree with Martian on the extra banwidth/money issue as well. We're really not helping Google. Besides, I for one have looked up some pretty bad stuff for pure research reasons to familiarize with the issues or to figure out what it all means. I doubt they will ever find me or can legally accuse me of ____ unless I actively pursue it in a harmful way. __________________ Like TFP? Donate To Keep It Alive!!

01-31-2006, 08:56 PM	#5 (permalink)
spindles Mine is an evil laugh Location: Sydney, Australia	regardless of why you want to do it and back to the batch file question - can't you just throw "start" before the iexplore thing to make the batch file continue running? e.g. start iexplore http://www.google.com/search?q=jesus __________________ who hid my keyboard's PANIC button?

01-31-2006, 09:04 PM	#6 (permalink)
phathom Crazy	true, maybe it wouldn't be helping them out, but it would be protecting some privacy of others, but the numbers of those doing it would have to be pretty staggering to make a dent, ah well, I guess it's the thought that counts, right? __________________ -snooch to the nooch

01-31-2006, 02:35 AM	#4 (permalink)
Plaid13 I want a Plaid crayon	omg they might find out about all the times i searched for cows and goats and other assorted sexy farm animal pictures!