Friday, May 12, 2006

Google Images Germany Censorship Example

Chilling Effects has the notice of a new (April 30) Google Images censorship request for Google Germany. The request was for Google.de to take down an image violating German law, which Google then obliged to. The specific law is against “displaying symbols of unconstitutional organizations” (some neo-Nazi groups would fit this description).

Germany has some very silly censorship laws (I recently ordered some Fantagraphics comic books and my package was opened and examined – with me as mandatory witness – because it “might contain swastikas,” among other things listed). Requesting to remove something in a search engine is certainly killing the messenger. So, German gov’t, good luck trying to rid Google Images of every swastika or whatever else it is you’re after, and congrats for being a leading example of digital censorship.

[Thanks Gary of ResourceShelf.]

Google Images Germany Cen ... by Philipp Lenssen | Comments (11)

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