Who's Watching You, While You're Watching You Tube?

You Tube's owner, Google, and Viacom are in the midst of a hot-and-heavy legal battle. Viacom is suing Google for giving internet surfers the opportunity to view Viacom's copyrighted material free of charge without their permission. In an effort to prove their case, Viacom requested and was granted, a peek into You Tube's visitor files.

According to Wired, a judge ruled that "Google will have to turn over to Viacom every record of every video watched by You Tube users, including users' names and IP addresses." Google argued that turning over this data would be a gross violation of their site visitors' privacy. However, the presiding judge disagreed.

All I have to say to You Tube users is: "Enjoy it while it lasts." We'll all be telling our grandkids about the "good old early-You Tube days" someday.

[SIDEBAR: It seems like "Viacom" is becoming a dirty word- for more reasons than one].