Google Calls Increasing Requests To Remove Political Content ‘Alarming’

[Purveyor]

By Agence France-Presse
Monday, June 18, 2012 7:38 EDT

Political commentary remains a prime target as governments increase the number of requests for Google to remove material from the reach of Internet users.

The Internet giant on Sunday released its fifth semi-annual Transparency Report providing insights into requests by countries around the world to “take down” content from search results or Google venues such as YouTube.

“Just like every other time before, we’ve been asked to take down political speech,” Google senior policy analyst Dorothy Chou said.

“It’s alarming not only because free expression is at risk, but because some of these requests come from countries you might not suspect — Western democracies not typically associated with censorship.”

MORE...

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/06/18/google-calls-increasing-requests-to-remove-political-content-alarming/

[MADem]

1. What Google should do is post the requests in their entirety, and not oblige the bastards.

Pretty soon, they will stop asking.

This is pure horseshit:

“It’s alarming not only because free expression is at risk, but because some of these requests come from countries you might not suspect — Western democracies not typically associated with censorship.”

The number of requests from the United States doubled in the second half of last year. Ukraine, Jordan and Bolivia showed up for the first time on the list of countries out to have online material removed, according to Google.

Google reported that it went along with slightly more than half of the approximately 1,000 requests it received to remove material or links.

The transparency report doesn’t provide insights regarding countries such as China where tight Internet controls allow for blocking of content, eliminating the need to ask Google to take down content.

[Uncle Joe]

2. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Purveyor.

[RKP5637]

3. Sadly, I expect to see this increase and increase and especially in the

US if the republicans gain widespread control. We will have freedom of speech "if and only if" one says the right thing. Politicians / governments always want to clamp down on any criticism for the most part.

[malaise]

4. Get thee to the greatest page

Important

[JDPriestly]

5. I wonder what kinds of things the US asked to have removed.

The item about the Canadian and the toilet is funny.

Can you imagine how much tax money and how many bureaucratic hours, stamps, signatures, approvals, official documentation went in to asking Google to remove a video of a Canadian using a toilet?

What a foolish waste.

But then what does Homeland Security do most of its time. Most of its employees look at innocuous luggage and read simpleminded e-mails and tweets.

Are we really so bored that we can't accept a little crazy stuff on the internet?

[Woody Woodpecker]

6. Google's "transparency" page.

http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/government/

[Enrique]

7. how many of the requests came from Rick Santorum?

[Fozzledick]

8. Maybe they should have some kind of "jury" to handle each request

[woo me with science]

9. Kick