Internet Companies Increasingly Handing over Data to Law Enforcement Agencies

In a recent post I discussed the issue of privacy and social media and whether privacy was being fractured in the social media space and the Internet in general.

Another interesting subject is data collection by Internet Companies such as Google and Twitter.  These Internet companies hold massive amounts of user information and its business models depend on collecting information so that they sell targeted advertising.  So it is not surprising that when governments come calling, these companies oblige as a recent article Web Firms Data Proves Irresistible To Law Enforcers points out. It is understandable why governments would be interested in obtaining these sources of information but should Internet companies hand over users’ information so readily?

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING

The recent British riots and the alleged use of social network sites to coordinate the riots shows how vulnerable users have becomes in terms of having control over their personal information.  There is no doubt that when crimes have been committed handing over of data is a logical thing to do.  But what about other instances?

More and more we are seeing the balance between private and public becoming more geared towards the public side and users are left with eroding rights.  In this electronic age of communication, is this a fair equation?  Or should users be afforded more protections?

I would love to hear your thought and opinions on the subject