'Islam Is' Not Being Censored by Google
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOGS: It doesn’t take much to get a conspiracy theorist going. Once they’ve found one conspiracy, they start seeing them everywhere. Pretty soon, the tinfoil hat never comes off.

Conspiracy theories about Google are particularly tiresome because they so often come from people who don’t understand how the search engine works. Wondering why your story is no longer in Google News? Perhaps it got too long to be listed – that can happen. There’s usually a sensible explanation but sensible explanations just further infuriate conspiracy nuts. “This cannot be accidental,” they bluster.

Anyway, the latest Google conspiracy posits that the search giant is censoring offensive descriptions of Islam.

It works like this: if you go to the Google homepage and type the words “Christianity is” then Google will suggest possible endings for your query. When I tried it I got “Christianity is ——–”, “Christianity is not a religion” and “Christianity is a lie”, among other things.

The same applies to the other major religions. Except Islam. Type “Islam is” into Google and the great oracle is silent. >>> Shane Richmond | Monday, January 11, 2010

Small Man, Big Balls! France Plans 'Google Tax' on Internet Searches
THE TELEGRAPH: France is planning a "Google tax" on internet search websites to raise money to plough into creative industries weakened by the digital revolution.

The proposal, outlined in a government-commissioned survey, has set the scene for a new Gallic run-in with Google – fast becoming the global internet behemoth the world loves to hate.

The levy on advertising revenue is the latest plank in France's drive to regulate the internet, which has seen it enact some of the world's toughest antipiracy legislation.

Besides Google, the tax would target other large operators in Europe such as Microsoft and Yahoo! whether or not their offices are in France. Google's European headquarters are in Ireland, but under the proposal, the operator would pay a levy every time a French internet user clicks on an advertising banner or sponsored link on its sites.

Guillaume Cerutti, one of the authors of the report said the tax would put an end to "enrichment without any limit or compensation".

Google – which this week extended its empire with the launch of Nexus One, its first mobile phone – has annual internet advertising revenues in France alone of £720 million, according to the report's authors. They want France's competition watchdog to investigate whether it is respecting monopoly rules on internet advertising.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has repeatedly cast himself as a defender of France's cultural heritage from digital predators. Last month, he pledged £700 million to digitise France's national literary treasures and stop them falling into Google's hands. "We are not going to be stripped of our heritage for the benefit of a big company, no matter how friendly, big or American it is," he said. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Thursday, January 07, 2010

'Skank Model' Blogger to Sue Google
ninemsn: A New York fashion student who called a model a "psychotic, lying, whoring ... skank" on her blog plans to file an $18 million lawsuit against Google for revealing her identity, according to reports.

Rosemary Port, 29, was sued by 37-year-old model Liskula Cohen over an alleged defamatory post on her anonymous Google blog account.

Google was forced to reveal Port's identitiy after a Manhattan Supreme Court judge rejected her claims that blogs should not be regarded as fact.

"When I was being defended by attorneys for Google, I thought my right to privacy was being protected," she told the NY Daily News.

"But that right fell through the cracks. Without any warning, I was put on a silver platter for the press to attack me.

"I would think that a multi-billion dollar conglomerate would protect the rights of all its users."

The New York Fashion Institute of Technology student said she plans to file an $18 million lawsuit against Google. >>> ninemsn staff | Monday, August 24, 2009

Greece Puts Brakes on Street View
BBC: Greece's data protection agency has banned Google from expanding its Street View service in the country, pending "additional information" from the firm.

Street View gives users a 360-degree view of a road via Google Maps.

Authorities want to know how long the images would be kept on Google's database and what measures it will take to make people aware of privacy rights.

A similar street mapping service, run by local ISP Kapou, was also suspended for the same reason.

In a statement, Google said that it had not seen the full details of the The Hellenic Data Protection Authority's request, but had taken steps to protect people's privacy. >>> | Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Another Setback to Freedom in the West: YouTube Must Divulge People’s Viewing Habits!
That “New Dark Age” is “Dawning” faster than anyone could ever have imagined! - ©Mark

BBC: Google must divulge the viewing habits of every user who has ever watched any video on YouTube, a US court has ruled.

The ruling comes as part of Google's legal battle with Viacom over allegations of copyright infringement.

Digital rights group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) called the ruling a "set-back to privacy rights".

The viewing log, which will be handed to Viacom, contains the log-in ID of users, the computer IP address (online identifier) and video clip details.

While the legal battle between the two firms is being contested in the US, it is thought the ruling will apply to YouTube users and their viewing habits everywhere. Google Must Divulge YouTube Log >>> | July 3, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (US) >>>

Gmail May Soon Be a Thing of the Past for Germans
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: If a proposed German surveillance law goes into effect unchanged in 2008, Google says, it would shut down Gmail for German customers rather than comply.

In a showdown with the German government, Google, Inc. has threatened to shut down its popular e-mail service in Germany if a planned telecommunications law goes into effect unchanged -- a law Google's chief data-protection advisor has called a "heavy blow against the private sphere." Google Threatens to End E-Mail Service in Germany (more)

Mark Alexander

Google Takes On Censorship of the Web
THE HONOLULU ADVERTISER: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Once relatively indifferent to government affairs, Google Inc. is seeking help inside the Beltway to fight the rise of Web censorship worldwide.

The online search giant is taking a novel approach to the problem by asking U.S. trade officials to treat Internet restrictions as international trade barriers, similar to other hurdles to global commerce, such as tariffs.

Google sees the dramatic increase in government Net censorship, particularly in Asia and the Middle East, as a potential threat to its advertising-driven business model, and wants government officials to consider the issue in economic, rather than just political, terms. Google Asks Gov't to Fight Censorship (more) By Christopher S. Rugaber

Mark Alexander

Google’s Decision to Hold a Party Miffs eBay
THE GUARDIAN: There is nothing more enraging than a clash in social diaries, as two of Silicon Valley's top firms have just discovered.

A decision by Google to hold a party in the middle of an eBay conference has prompted a furious dust-up between the two technology companies.

The row erupted when Google attempted to lure customers, technology experts and partners away from a major marketing event hosted by eBay in Boston this week. Google and eBay in furious dust-up (more) By Andrew Clark

Mark Alexander