A controversial search warrant issued to Edina police to collect personal information on anyone who searched a resident's name on Google yielded only one record, according to the tech company.
The warrant, which surfaced in March, was seen at the time by internet privacy advocates as "breathtakingly broad" and setting a troubling precedent on how law agencies could obtain private information.
Google issued a statement Friday via e-mail: "We objected to the warrant and significantly narrowed its scope to the point that only one record was produced. We were pleased to resolve this in a way that preserves our users' privacy."
Neither Google nor Edina officials explained how the search was specified or what information was turned over to police. As of Friday, no arrest had been made in the case, Edina spokeswoman Jennifer Bennerotte said, but she declined to comment on the investigation.
William McGeveran, a law professor at the University of Minnesota, said Google's pushback addressed the central issue.
"Google, by working to narrow it down and focus it, was responding to what was really objectionable," he said. "[The warrant] was asking for a broad swath of people's searches that was overly inclusive."
But McGeveran said he is concerned that issuing similar warrants could become a common practice. "I'm still worried about what would happen next time," he said. "Will another judge do this in the future?"
He added that other search engines may not fight as hard to protect personal information. Google initially declined to honor a subpoena to provide the same information to Edina.
