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This simple video will show you how Google responds to search warrants

Do not pass Go. Do not collect Google users' search information.  

 

Mike Fenn

Tech

Posted on Mar 31, 2014   Updated on May 31, 2021, 1:33 pm CDT

As the government requests more information about Internet users, companies like Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google have been forced to devise strategies to protect their customers’ communication while, at the same time, acting in accordance of the law.

While these policies can be pretty technical, Google in particular took a unique approach to explaining to users exactly how it handles government requests. It created a board game.

In a YouTube video, Google uses the board game to explain how the process of surrendering information to the government works. Each step, from the initial search warrant to narrowing the scope of information, clearly laid out as game piece characters make their way from level to level.

Now if only we could get companies to take the same easy-to-follow approach to service agreements.


Screengrab via Google/YouTube

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*First Published: Mar 31, 2014, 12:19 pm CDT