Thursday, February 22, 2007

Go*gle Censors Blog after "Death Threat"

We read:

"Internet giant G*ogle has finally caved in to complaints and shut down a controversial weblog on which a death threat against a New Zealand politician was posted.

Authorities in New Zealand have complained to G*ogle for weeks about the cyfs blog, critical of the country's government-run Child Youth and Family (CYF) service. CYF, part of the Ministry of Social Development, is responsible for removing children from homes for care and protection.

The blog, run on G*ogle's blogging platform, had called on people angry at CYF to post messages containing personal information about individual social workers. In January the ministry called in police amid fears the site was putting some of its staff at risk and a complaint was made to G*ogle. Following the complaint the internet company censored postings on the site, but allowed the blog to continue operating.

However, that situation changed yesterday after threats against a politician were posted. With New Zealand's "anti-smacking" Bill going before parliament yesterday - which would make it an offence for parents to strike their children - posts to the blog were critical of Green MP Sue Bradford who introduced the Bill.

One post said Ms Bradford was a "worthy candidate for NZ's first political assassination" and another post called on her home address to be published on the site.

Source

The offending comment was hardly a "death threat" but it does appear to be an advocacy of violence so that could put it apart from other types of comment. Though Muslims are free to advocate violence, of course. Some of them do little else.

The offending comment is recycled on another NZ blog, where the blogger makes the point that a POLITICAL assassination, not a physical assassination was described as desirable.

The site concerned was called cyfswatch.blogspot.com. For those who want to make their own judgment of the rightness or wrongness of what appeared on the site, I have reposted all the recent content on it here. If this blog falls prey to the wrath of G*ogle as a result of my doing so, don't forget my mirror sites