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Google says some blogs on Blogger, its blogging platform, will be blocked on a "per country basis," in order to comply with "removal request" laws of nations where freedom of speech is not cherished or allowed.
The move seems to coincide with Twitter's recent announcement that it will censor tweets, or posts, in various countries at the request of governments, although the Blogger change was posted Jan. 9, but only reported on Tuesday by the website TechDows.
To deal with government censorship, Google said that some blogs may be redirected on the Web to a different "country-code top level domain," or ccTLD. "For example, if you're in Australia and viewing [blogname].blogspot.com, you might be redirected [blogname].blogspot.com.au. A ccTLD, when it appears, corresponds with the country of the reader’s current location."
In a Q&A about the change, Google said:
Migrating to localized domains will allow us to continue promoting free expression and responsible publishing while providing greater flexibility in complying with valid removal requests pursuant to local law. By utilizing ccTLDs, content removals can be managed on a per country basis, which will limit their impact to the smallest number of readers. Content removed due to a specific country’s law will only be removed from the relevant ccTLD.
Blog owners "should not see any visible differences to their blog other than the URL redirecting to a ccTLD," Google said.
And, there is a workaround for blog readers, who "may request a specific country version of the blogspot content by entering a specially formatted 'NCR' URL," Google says.
NCR means "No Country Redirect," and "will always display buzz.blogger.com in English, whether you’re in India, Brazil, Honduras, Germany, or anywhere," Google said.
Google has applied such workarounds before. For several years, Google agreed to censor its search results in China, but stopped doing that a few years ago after a dispute with China's government. Google, according to a recent Associated Press story, "now routes its Chinese search results through Hong Kong, where the censorship rules are less restrictive."
Related stories:
- Google defends change to privacy policies
- Occupy protester's Twitter posts subpoenaed
- Twitter CEO says new policy is for transparency: report
- Activists and bloggers fear Twitter censorship
- How to easily circumvent Twitter's censorship
Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.
Leave a Comment:
And the freedom of speech necessary for political freedom goes down the toilet.... No more Arab Springs.
There's like a dozen different ways around all this stupid censorship. People just have to learn how to get around it.
The only way a country can truly implement Internet censorship is to disconnect from the Internet entirely.
Yeah, that ought to go over real well. Talk about the natives becoming restless. That's worth going to war over.
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its amazing that this country is moving so far to the right that the default position of corporations is to comply with repressive governments rather than defy them.
sorry google, putting in a native workaround is a copout at best.
they may take our lives, but they'll never take our PORN.
Google should leave all the international blogs alone and block all the ones in California.
Not all people on right , Zaruski ( behind the Russian -I hope you are not hiding there as a lefty that splashed so much blood in the world) are like the neocons that got us into these endless, unwinnable wars . These fanatics that got us into these wars and into bankrupcy are false Christians that went along with real criminals to profit from wars, who sold our economy to the highest bidder -Communist China. The people you are talking about should be tried for treason - like Bush , McCain, Lieberman, Rumsfeld, Pearlman, Wolfowitz, Cheney,Powell , and some of them should be tried for war crimes that they commited. Crimes against the American people need to be addresses in this country - how did we get to bankrupcy , to endless unwinable wars , to Wall Street thievery ( they make their own laws ) that stole millions from people and none went to jail. The corruption stinks to high heaven !
We would still have a debt problem because of the recession. Not as sever, but it would still be several trillion.
Sounds like Google horse@!$%# to me. You, Google, enjoy the freedoms of America, you should extol the freedoms of America and force countries that squelch free speech to fight the pervasiveness of the Internet. Thanks for being an enabler on a grand scale... in this case repression.
Not to defend Google but this is how they keep from being blocked it other countries. Those governments give them a choice block or no business in their country. Its that whole global market thing.
Then they should do no business in those countries! Eventually countries would get the message-- you don't allow freedom of speech to your people, then you don't get serviced by us! It is abhorrent to think whose butts these companies will kiss for money.
The rich always support the opressor , Chris , not the opressed. Since 1917 Wall Street supported the Russian Revolution , they supported Communists from WW I -they gave them technology , build factories while the people in Russia were enslaved. WWII and after same thing. Even now they sold our economy to Communist China and help Communist China with capital. Wall Street stole trillions from Americans and ,yet,no one went to jail because they are in control of our government. Vote Ron Paul or face the music soon.
I know what you're saying and I understand your sense of outrage, but (and you had to know there was a "but" coming), the only true way to censor internet transmissions is to completely detach from the internet. I don't think that's possible in today's world. For one, those governments, themselves want internet access to keep abreast of the free world and if the people have had that taste, that tantalizing sip of the crystalline waters of freedom of speech, believe me they will never go back. They will find paths of communication to the world. Those people will find a way and Google gets to keep itself in good standing with whatever countries demand the censorship.
Joe - Who supported Cuba?
Next up: Google's extortion demands to remove the blocklistings.
That's pretty much the general theme in this country anymore - screw principles, follow the money. BE evil.
"[...] promoting free expression [...] in complying with valid removal requests pursuant to local law."
You are so right. This is disingenuous drivel at best, rampant corporate greed at worst. The bad part is that Google has sort of become like China. It's hard to avoid. As a web developer I need to be able to do mobile development including Android. Can't use Android without a google account. I will have to keep it all to a minimum and avoid it as much as possible.
Exactly, it's all about the money, integrity is for sale to them, forget the promises to use Google to try and make a better world. Because money makes the world go round.
Why not just skip the facade and delete the blogs now? I mean, why have a Syrian domain when there won't be any Syria blogs?
We are now in the age of the THE CENSORSHIP WARS! The people vs. the governments! Long live the people! "Hey, don't taze me bro!"
just remember, "corporations are people too, my friend."
What a disgrace- its a violation of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights- Article 19 "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."
Stop supporting this company ... enough said.
It is disgusting that Google will actually follow these ridiculous rules. Once again, showing that greed is the number one motivator for mankind.
Whatever happened to "Don't be evil", Google? Isn't censorship evil?
Censorship is evil only when done to me not me doing it that's not evil.
Censorship is a good thing when i am in control Trust me I am your government, i am your god.. my name is Google....
Bow before me my servants
.
Yes, Master Google.
I read somewhere that Bater said HE was Master.
Hey! Bater! You still out there?
Fascist freaks kow towing to the warlords for cash. I hate google now.
Google doesn't need the money.
They have to have a future plan and keep their foot in the door to these countries so that when the time is right they can drop the curtain and launch the freedom flotilla of information. Otherwise they would have to reinvent the wheel in these countries.
Patience, all is not as it seems.
Bull!!! Google does this to stay in that particular country. China has their OWN Google type engine and Google is in competition with it. Clicks is cash and if people use ChinaGoogle or SyriaGoogle then Our little Google gets none. They want censorship in order to stay in that country, then censor away.
Google. Government oversight on geographic locations everywhere.
Censor your own ass google.
Next they will start censoring People, by city and state or worse completely...
Money trumps ideals. We should know that by now. We have our own Republican party.
I think it goes for Dems, too! Greed knows no political boundaries.
Orwell's 1984 revisited and coming to your home soon. If there is still time left vote for Ron Paul or face SHTF.
"We will bury you." - Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet Premier, November 1956 speaking his view of what totalitarianism could and would do to Western democracy and freedom.
Sorry, Nikki, but you were dead wrong both then and now. Khrushchev's son is today a naturalized US citizen, thoroughly enjoying his democratic and capitalistic lifestyle. Fifty years from now, the children and grandchildren of the current despots in Asia and the Middle East will likewise have rejected and "buried" the totalitarianism of their parents. Too bad Google can't see that and help make their freedoms arrive sooner rather than later.
...do to Western Capitalism.
As explained by Nikita.
Good riddence Google, Hello Bing.
Why would you stop blogs for countries that oppress it's people? The world needs to hear from those who are restricted from expressing opression, Enough said. Let's all turn a deaf ear like we did in 1939 Germany and WHO THE HELL IS GOOGLE TO DECIDE WHAT SHOULD BE CENSORED WITH FREE SPEACH.
I WELCOME ALL THOSE WHO CHERRICH FREE SPEACH TO LET GOOGLE KNOW THEY ARE DOING HUMANITY A GRAVE INJUSTICE. GOOGLE CAN DIRECT THE BLOGS TO THE PROPER DOMAINS.
I guess free speech is great, when it's in googles interest. Good luck with your next black out now that you have zero credibility. So much for "Don't be evil".
EMAIL them and complain first the Privacy settings change and this. I have half a mind to abandon my previous pro google stance and delete my google accounts.
I see a new "Pay for it" market sprouting in this area of the internet.
I remember when EVERYTHING was free and uncensored on the internet. Way to go Big Government.
going away from google, many expected to follow.
repress...repress....repress......google makes me depressed