Google's concerns that millions of its users' Internet search requests would violate privacy rights are unwarranted, the Justice Department said in a court filing.
The DoJ has now submitted an eighteen page brief to the court challenging Google's refusal to hand over the information. In it the DoJ points out that it has specifically asked for any information, such as IP address, which could identify an individual to be removed. Therefore the subpoena does not violate a citizen's right to privacy.
The department believes the information will help revive an online child protection law that has been blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court. By showing the wide variety of Web sites that people find through search engines, the government hopes to prove Internet filters are not strong enough to prevent children from viewing pornography and other inappropriate material online.