Brazil in problem continues

Google disputed reports suggesting that only after a Brazilian court's recent threats of daily fines did it decide to hand over data to authorities about users suspected of engaging in criminal activity via Orkut, its social networking site.

The search giant has since filed a petition with the court for clarification on its new order, which threatened to impose fines of about $23,000 per day on Google's Brazil subsidiary for failure to comply with authorities' requests. All data on Orkut.com users, regardless of their country of origin, is stored at Google's Mountain View, Calif. headquarters, the company said.For months, Brazilian prosecutors have been investigating allegations that Orkut's communities, which have proven especially popular among Brazilians, facilitate distribution of child pornography and promote crime and violence. The data requested is designed to help Brazilian law enforcement identify people accused of engaging in racism, pedophilia, and homophobia, which are considered crimes in the South American nation. Google has agreed to abide by a court order requiring it to turn over information about Brazilian users of its social networking site, Orkut, who have been accused of crimes.

The search giant had opposed the U.S. Department of Justice earlier this year when, hoping to build its defense of a 1998 online child protection law, the feds demanded a "random samplin" of 1 million Internet addresses and 1 million search queries submitted to Google over a one-week period.The Brazilian authorities' request differs because it is "small and narrow" in most cases,The data requested in the South American case is designed to help Brazilian law enforcement identify people accused of engaging in racism, pedophilia, and homophobia, all considered criminal behavior there.

Orkut has become particularly popular in Brazil, which is now home to about three-fourths of the service's estimated 17 million users, the Post reported.