Censorship Down Under

The page at ChillingEffects.org explains that Google removed a listing from this SERP after a complaint was filed about the site under the Australian Anti Discrimination Act.

I believe the fact that Google has posted this notice (note that chilling effect refers to actions, especially legal ones, that would have a deterrent effect on a free press) shows that theyre reluctant to comply with the ruling, but feel compelled to legally"which might well be the case. The Sydney Morning Herald explains the process behind this move:

"Google has agreed to take down links to a website that promotes racist views of indigenous Australians.

Aboriginal man Steve Hodder-Watt recently discovered the US-based site by searching Aboriginal and Encyclopedia in the search engine.

He tried to modify the entry on Encyclopedia Dramatica, a satirical and extremely racist version of Wikipedia, but was blocked from doing so.

Mr Hodder-Watt then undertook legal action, that resulted in Google acknowledging its legal responsibility to remove the offensive site."

Okay, I think that especially in light of todays holiday in the US (Martin Luther King Day), we all acknowledge that racism is bad. Racist jokes and racial epithets (both of which the page in question uses) are the lowest form of humor, if they even qualify. But considering that the Encyclopedia Dramatica claims to be a satire, is this really the right move for the Australian government, and for Google?

Google Blogoscoped takes a look at some of the other, far milder entries on the ED:

"Spain is described to be Devoid of any culture whatsoever. Another countrys citizens are called the human scum of the world, and so on. Encyclopedia Dramatica also has an article titled White People, which starts with It is widely known that white people are the inferior race. It goes on to mention that One good thing about the white race is their ability to blindly follow their leaders in perfect lockstep, however ridiculous the instructions might sound.

Note that, despite some reporting to the contrary, Google has not removed links to the Encyclopedia Dramatica or removed the site from its index. Incidentally, both of Google Blogoscopes examples are still in SERPs. (And the Aborigine page is still in the index, according to the Inquisitr.)

The article on the ED has been updated to include a note about this fervor"claiming that Google reduced its PageRank to 0. (My browser and PRChecker.info say it has a PR of 2"but does anyone care?) Theyve also added ad hominem attacks against the individual who filed the complaint.

What do you think? Should Google delist that result? Or should they stand up to Australia, just like they did with China (and how many enemies can they afford)?

Comments

Tag: Google, Censorship, Australia

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