(5 July 2008 5:00 pm)

MUMBAI: A US judge has ordered video sharing site Youtube's parent Google to handover data of Viacom videos viewed on Youtube to the US media conglomerate.

Viacom will get all data from the Logging database concerning each time a Youtube video has been viewed on the YouTube website or through embedding on a third-party website.

Viacom, which owns MTV, Nickelodeon and Paramount among other properties, says that it needs the data about how people use the site to show that its copyright-protected material -- such as clips from South Park and The Colbert Report - are being posted and watched.

Besides this user data, Viacom also sought access to Google's source code for its web and video search, as well as for its 'Video ID' programme. The judge, however, denied access to the code, because, "considered against its value and secrecy, plaintiffs have not made a sufficient showing of need for its disclosure." It's interesting that Google's trade secrets are worth protecting while the privacy of users is not.

The Electronic Frontier foundation, though, says that the Court's erroneous ruling is a set-back to privacy rights, and will allow Viacom to see what users are watching on YouTube. "We urge Viacom to back off this overbroad request and Google to take all steps necessary to challenge this order and protect the rights of its users," says EFF.