Friday, February 10, 2012

Google India Removes Websites Deemed Offensive By the Gov’t

We read:
"With Google stating just last week that it would block content on its blog platform in certain countries while keeping it viewable in others others — Twitter also announced a similar protocol – Google India has reportedly removed web pages deemed offensive to Indian political and religious leaders.

This action is to comply with a court case that has raised censorship fears in the world’s largest democracy and follows weeks of intense government pressure for 22 Internet giants to remove photographs, videos or text considered “anti-religious“ or ”anti-social.”

Indian officials have been incensed by material insulting to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, ruling Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi and religious groups, including illustrations showing Singh and Gandhi in compromising positions and pigs running through Mecca, Islam’s holiest city.

“There is no question of any censorship,” Communications Minister Sachin Pilot said in Bangalore. “They all have to operate within the laws of the country. … There must be responsible behavior on both sides.”

Facebook India submitted a compliance report to the court Monday, but it also joined Yahoo and Microsoft in questioning its inclusion in the case, saying no specific complaints had been presented against them, PTI reported. The sites did not immediately comment after the hearing.

Prosecutors, who sued on behalf of a Muslim religious leader who accused companies of hosting pages that disparage Islam, said they would provide the companies with all relevant documents. The court gave the companies 15 more days to report back.

Source

Google did the same with China some years ago. Who will be next?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

And the first blog to go is Tongue Tied 3.

Anonymous said...

Google, along with these so-called "social media sites", believe they can do anything they please around the world, as they do in the US. Well, obviously they can't, and they have only themselves to blame. There are actually places around the world where being totally out-of-control is not acceptable.

If these media entities were driven by some moral guide, rather than insatiable greed, they would not be censored and controlled. Let then stay in America where nothing is controlled, other than the peoples freedom and liberty.

Stan B said...

The most basic human right is, and must be, freedom of thought. I must be free to disagree with anyone, anywhere, at any time, for any reason. I must also be free to state that disagreement - otherwise, my freedom is an illusory abstract not an actual right.

If my disagreeing with you makes YOU feel offended - because I question your intellect, your faith, or your "moral superiority," then you must be free to say so. However, to guarantee my freedom, you must not exercise your power over me to silence me. That is the way of a tyrant.

Use the Name, Luke said...

Well said, Stan.

Bird of Paradise said...

What else can we ever ecpect from a nation that worships cows,elephants and monkeys and allows the kids to starve

Anonymous said...

And why shouldn't Islam be disparage? They disparage every other religion and especially all non-belivers.

Anonymous said...

Poor satanist, i mean moose-slimes. the religion of the constantly insulted. To hell with the blood cult of islam..it is not a religion, it is a satanic cult that forces people to be members or die.

Anonymous said...

Well said Stan, but i think it would have been far more appropriate to aim it at Obummer and his Dept. of Homeland Stupidity. In case you haven't noticed, that's exactly what they're doing to us.

Anonymous said...

Google's "first rule" is supposed to be DON'T BE EVIL

Censorship is evil.
Google fails.
Bring out the next search engine please...