Google Gives Brazil Orkut Data on Criminals

September 5, 2006 (Press Release) -- Google Gives Brazil Orkut Data on Criminals


Google has made the decision to work with the Brazilian authorities by complying with a court order to supply Brazil with data which could help identify Orkut users who are using the social network for the spreading of child porngraphy and as a center for hate crimes. Unlike the US Government’s broad request for search behavior data last year, Brazil has requested specific information on individuals and members of groups in Orkut who are using the system for illegal activities in Brazil.

"What they’re asking for is not billions of pages," Nicole Wong, Google associate general counsel, told the Washington Post. "In most cases, it’s relatively discrete — small and narrow."

In this writer’s opinion, Google is going down the right and responsible path with its social network in this instance, working with the authorities to combat child trafficking and crimes against children in Brazil. The company will be handing over specific information on criminals who are using Orkut for real evil, not world domination evil or tracking of all users’ archives and click behavior evil, but the kidnapping, killing and torture of innnocents.

The Washington Post reports:

The Brazilian authorities are particularly interested in Internet protocol addresses with time and date stamps that can help trace a specific user. Registration information Google could provide includes names and e-mail addresses.

Sure, it’s also an election year in Brazil and this win will be big for President Lula and his party, as the breaking up of child trafficking syndicates has been a political promise and agenda in Brazil since the eighties when the country took action against false adoption agencies and International organ smuggling.

But what is even more important is that this has become a Win-Win situation for Google as it shows that the company actually cares about the laws, battles, and social difficulties of the countries it plans to expand within, especially with the growth of broadband and the $100 Laptop Movement.

Google added in a statement that it always has been the intention of Google "to be as cooperative in the investigation and prosecution of crimes as we possibly can, while being careful to balance the interests of our users and the request from the authorities."