interesting spin on why Google can get harmed by the patriot act and US data privacy laws,

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080324.wrgoogle24/BNStory/Technology/home

<<... But the Mountain View, Calif.-based company will not discuss how often government agencies demand access to its customers' information or whether content on its new Web-based collaborative tools has been the subject of any reviews under the Patriot Act.>>

<<The U.S. Patriot Act, passed in the weeks after the September, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, gives authorities the means to secretly view personal data held by U.S. organizations.>>

Is this put in to suggest that the US government staged the attackes to pass the bill as some theorists suggest?

Definition of terrorism:
The systematic use of terror, the deliberate creation and exploitation of fear for bringing about political change

so what does this all mean for google's hosted services etc etc ? I mean here in toronto, we are seeing the first level of threat assessment in conjunction with google services.. so how much deeper does this syndrome extend ??