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Google to Launch Government Search Site

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the uncle-sam's-table-of-contents dept.

Billosaur writes "Word has come out via the Washington Post on Google's plan to launch a a tool for searching US Government web sites. The tool, usgov.google.com, is meant to be used by Federal employees who may need to search across several different sites for information, and '...is also designed to help citizens navigate convoluted pages of government-speak and tailor news feeds to their interests. Users can customize the layout of their page to remain updated on government-related news from official and commercial sources, including the White House, Department of Defense, The Washington Post and CNN. Google is also working with agencies to increase the frequency of news updates to keep content current.'"

3 of 123 comments (clear)

  1. Dear NSA, please open a file on me by Gothmolly · · Score: 3, Insightful

    My entire search history, my email, and my interactions with the Federal and State governments will all be neatly catalogued by an online service, whose records, I am sure, you will have no trouble in subpoena-ing when necessary.

    Thank you,
    John Citizen

    --
    I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
  2. I hope it is useful by frovingslosh · · Score: 2, Insightful
    I just hope they make it useful. In the past I know there has been information that I wanted on publically finded, publically open sites, because I found it, but when I asked Google for the same information I was told that my search got zero matches. I was told here that the likely cause of this was someone flagging the page or pages above the information "no robots" or whatever the flag is to keep spiders out. This is a complete crock for public information, and I hope that Google indexes as much as it can, no matter what flag some low level tax-payer paid employee decided to stick on it.

    If the don't, the terrorists have won. (Heck, that argument seems to work for anything Bush wants.)

    --
    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
  3. Re:I'm glad. by bigpat · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Oh, wait, there they are knocking on the door now. Guess I don't need the government search site after all.

    Well after today's supreme court decision, knocking probably means it isn't the government, because they don't have to knock anymore.