The Internet challenges traditional politics in two ways: our geographical borders are becoming less relevant and we are becoming increasingly aware of how people are treated by different government systems
The US Department of Justice subpoenaed search engines, requesting data from search queries. Whilst some search engine vendors complied, Google dug in its heels and refused. Here are some links to articles and blog posts discussing the issue:
The following snippet is from a letter published in The Economist, 14th January 2006, describing the core difference between US and France and showing why a democracy doesn't necessarily equate to liberty (something Anglo-Saxon-based cultures, particularly US and Britain, tend to assume):
The American revolution was driven by Lockean principles (political power is delegated by individuals, constituting a social impact). The French revolution was predominantly inspired by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (individual rights are irrevocably absorbed by the government, in the shape of majority rule). Any attempt to limit legislative power by referring to individual rights (the Anglo-Saxon tradition) is deemed anti-democratic and a restraint on popular representation. Attempts to side with the individual in areas of conflict with the collective... consistently suffer the bias of 'democracy' over liberty. - Jacob Arfwedsaen
This is an interesting comment, in light of the US Department of Justice requesting search query information from search engine vendors.