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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.'"

26 of 123 comments (clear)

  1. Hardly new - this search was already in google by timecop · · Score: 5, Informative

    Well, this isnt exactly new - there used to be a http://www.google.com/unclesam which is similar to their custom searches like /linux and /microsoft, and limited results to .gov sites. The only thing that looks different now is they have personalized newsfeeds related to government stuff, which you could already do on your personalized page anyway, if you were so interested.

  2. In other news by obeythefist · · Score: 5, Funny

    In other news, Google Inc have announced they are changing their logo to a more classical look. Spokesman for Google's marketing department said "We find the new glowing eye in a pyramid logo to be more appealing to a broader range of customers."

    --
    I am government man, come from the government. The government has sent me. -- G.I.R.
  3. Be careful! by Funkcikle · · Score: 5, Funny
    It is just a phishing site! Once you search for stuff, it will inform you that the information is only accessible by Government employees.

    "Please enter your employee login and password to continue."

    Those sneaky Googlers...

    1. Re:Be careful! by Amouth · · Score: 2, Funny

      ok .. i started looking under "bullshit"

      this is great.. i would have loved to been there when this was created

      http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dockets/05n0345/0 5N-0345-EC872.htm

      --
      '...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
  4. Use it to find hacked sites by martinde · · Score: 3, Interesting

    View source on this page. Doh! I guess hidden information in a wiki isn't exactly hacked... But I wonder what's in it for the people putting that stuff on there?

  5. Yes, but more importantly... by denebian+devil · · Score: 2, Funny

    What I want to know is when Google will be able to help me search for my shoes in the morning.

  6. I'm glad. by BrainRam · · Score: 5, Funny
    It's a good thing that Google launching a government search site. I've been looking for the US government for years, but haven't been able to find them. This would have really have been useful last year during Katrina, since I know a lot of other people were looking for the government then as well...

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

    1. 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.

  7. So, uh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    When do we get to search through the federal government's private emails and download mp3's of their phone calls? ...parooze their transaction summaries, nose around in their medical records, see what they've been looking up in the library of congress, and run statistical analysis on seemingly random characteristics?

    I'm not holding my breath.

  8. you can do this manually by erikus · · Score: 5, Informative

    You can just use the regular google search with site:.gov OR site:.us OR site:.mil (maybe a few others) appended to your search to get the same results.

    Compare these results:
    usgov search
    manual search
  9. Well, it appears to be working by cliveholloway · · Score: 4, Interesting

    14,000 results for "do not distribute".

    Now all they have to do is learn what not to index :)

    --
    -- Trinity in high heels carrying a whip: The donimatrix - there is no spoonerism
    1. Re:Well, it appears to be working by belg4mit · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "do not distribute -e-mail, 843 results.

      A couple are irrelevant but the signal to noise is much better than the GP query.

      --
      Were that I say, pancakes?
  10. In Soviet Russia... by SonicSpike · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...government searches you!

    --
    Libertas in infinitum
  11. That title is just *wrong*. by Jester998 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I got it up now!

    Uh, congrats? :)

  12. It works perfectly! by rabiddeity · · Score: 4, Funny

    SELECT * FROM The_Government WHERE Intelligence > '0'

    Your search returned no results

    1. Re:It works perfectly! by HappyDrgn · · Score: 3, Funny

      ERROR: Unknown column 'Intelligence' in 'where clause'

  13. 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.
  14. Even worse! by Johnny+Doughnuts · · Score: 3, Interesting

    us gov search for "confidential "do not distribute"".

    The results are astounding, someone should get fired over this.

  15. Quick! by scolby · · Score: 3, Funny

    Somebody do a search for Area 51!

    Hmm, how do I search for those black marks they use to cover all the good words?

  16. Great, I know exactly what this leads too by pelsmith · · Score: 2, Funny

    One month from today, the word will come out that sensitive information is available on Google, and being actively utilized by China, Iraq and France.

    Two months from now, DoD sys admins will be told to block Google.

    Twenty years from now, the following questions will still be on the security clearance application form:

    206. Have you ever used any of the following "hackor" tools:
    SATAN YES/NO
    PGP YES/NO
    Google YES/NO

  17. 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.
  18. Chineese Government Search by wideBlueSkies · · Score: 2, Funny

    When google implements their search for chineese government sites, this is what we can expect to see.

    Nothing found for your search.
    IP Logged.

    --
    Huh?
  19. tax code just got easier... by a_greer2005 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Now you can find that tax loophole with the power of google parsing through all of those IRS publications... Thank you Google.

  20. What a non-story. by raehl · · Score: 3, Funny

    Talk to me when they can analyze my congressman's calling patterns.

    --
    paintball
  21. Speaking as a Political Science student... by jelton · · Score: 2, Funny

    I just made a mess in my pants. This is like manna from heaven for the research I do.

    --
    I am not a lawyer. This post does not constitute any form of legal advice.
  22. "Beware of the leopard" by jellybear · · Score: 2, Funny

    Finally a solution to the problem that confronted Arthur Dent:

    "I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them."
    "That's the Display Department."
    "With a torch."
    "The lights had probably gone."
    "So had the stairs."
    "But you found the plans, didn't you?"
    "Oh yes, they were 'on display' in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the leopard.'"

    Now you'll be able to simply create an RSS feed for your house.