Google forced to hand over YouTube user data to Viacom

ARS Technica reports a judge has ruled Google must hand over a database with 12 terabytes of information about its users to Viacom:

Next up is a 12TB database containing logging information on every video ever watched at YouTube. Viacom wants to see just how often infringing clips were viewed, then compare this against noninfringing ones to prove its contention that YouTube, in the early days, was an engine powered mostly by the gasoline of illegal content. The database will also show which username and IP address watched every video, a move with potential privacy implications.

The data set is large, but the judge noted that it could be slapped on three "over-the-shelf" 4TB drives. Request granted, score tied at 2-2.

Google must also share a database with all videclips ever removed from YouTube for any reason:

But Viacom did better when it came to accessing YouTube's massive databases. The first database requested contains all videos ever removed for any reason, which Viacom hopes will show just how many infringing videos YouTube has hosted over the years. The massive database will "require a total of about five person-weeks of labor without unexpected glitches, as well as the dedication of expensive computer equipment and network bandwidth." The total number of videos here is "intimidating," wrote the judge, but he granted Viacom's request anyway.

Viacom also asked for the source code for the search functions that power Google and YouTube, the source code of YouTube's Video ID and a copy of every private video but these requests were denied.