DO NOT PUBLISH / SIGN YET, THIS IS A PROOF OF CONCEPT
SHOULD BE COMPLETED IN A FEW DAYS, FEEDBACK / HELP WELCOME

This site was created in response to the recent subpoenaing of Google by the Justice Department to disclose millions of searches by its users to the Justice Department.  While they have refused, it is disturbing to learn that a court order could take away yours and our right to privacy on the Internet. 

This recent order by the courts did not request IP addresses along with the searches, but Google admits that this information is also recorded. 

And that is the problem. 

Google absolutely should not do this in the first place.  There is absolutely no reason why the IP address of its users should be recorded.  Nor is there any reason to link your searches to your Google Email.  Doing this will serve you better ads, yet it will keep an accurate log of everything you ever search for on the Internet.

Please help us express to Google this very real concern about everyone’s privacy.

Add your name, thereby weight of your personage, to this very reasonable appeal.

Google links your searches to your IP address as well as to any other Google services like Google Maps and Gmail to create a better idea of who it's millions of users are.  Google does this they say to serve better content to its users and create better services.

If Google is truly worried, as we all are, about our Internet searches becoming publicly available information, the best way to avoid that would not to record the IP addresses at all (unless specifically required to do so, on a case by case basis, by a court order).  This would protect its users privacy, while still allowing Google to record search terms for better services and ads for its customers.

If you are concerned about your privacy on the Internet, sign our petition to Google.  If you are a Google employee reading this open letter and petition, we applaud your caring for your customers’ feedback and we encourage you to help us stop this practice.

This information will be updated automatically on this website and sent to Google every month via USPS mail and email.

Thank you,

The Don't Be Evil, Google Team

PS:  The idea for this online petition originated from reading Tim Wu's article on slate.com linked to by digg.com.  His open letter can read here.