When the law chases the Internet

WHEN THE LAW CHASES THE INTERNET
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] Google has warned that, despite its huge database of information on users, it cannot go down "the slippery slope" of letting government mine that data for possible crimes, both for the sake of customer privacy and to keep its technology secret. The case points up the public's contrary expectations about the Internet: Americans want this information highway to be private, but they also want government to have enough access to it to protect them, and society at large, from criminal acts. The very nature of the Internet as a loose, private affiliation of cooperating computer networks - unlike, say, a public highway - can make it a legal twilight zone. Finding a balance between Internet privacy and protection isn't always clear in current law or to lawmakers who must quickly write new laws. The Internet's benefits should not be hindered by public fear of crime or by lax law enforcement against cybercriminals. Internet privacy is best protected if government can quickly react to each new criminal intrusion, and thus avoid a broader government hand in the Web.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0317/p08s02-comv.html