Google Seeks Clearer Path to State Data

GOOGLE SEEKS CLEARER PATH TO STATE DATA
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Miguel Helft]
Four states have joined forces with Google to make information from their Web sites more directly accessible through Internet searches. Much of the public data on government Web sites — things like school rankings, contractor and real estate licenses and information on emergency and public health services — is easy to access through the sites themselves, but is not always readily available through Web search engines. Google has been working with officials in Arizona, California, Utah and Virginia to make some of that information more broadly available, using a technological standard for exposing previously hidden Web pages. The company said that over time it hoped to extend the partnership to other government agencies at the federal, state and local level. Since the Web standard has recently been recognized by all major search engines, like Yahoo, Microsoft and Ask, the information would also be accessible through those services. While the newly searchable data is already public, its wider dissemination could add fuel to a debate over how to balance personal privacy with the public’s right to access government records.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/30/technology/30data.html
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* Google, 4 U.S. states partner on gov't info search
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN2946293620070430
* Google Search To Expand Links To Information From Virginia Agencies
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/29/AR200704...