He complained that when people use Google, “we leave a trace of our personal information.” By characterizing Google as a spy tool, however, he exaggerated the fact that one’s record of searches is left behind and someone can know what brand of underwear you bought online and whether you searched through pornographic sites. It is a privacy issue that many privacy advocates have long raised, but it is far short of espionage. Moqaddam raised the “spying” charge to defend Iran’s plans to adopt its own national replacement for the Internet. He said the Iranian plan would protect Iranians from spying foreigners. He neglected to mention that the Iranian plan would give his police the “spying” ability he decried. Last week, we carried a report on Iran’s national Internet plans, saying it would come online around Now Ruz. The government has now delayed the launch until June.