Google Censorship Here

I document a few recent abuses of Google censorship on this blog and provide context as discussed on other blogs and publications, with the intent to discuss it in depth later and elsewhere.

Varianta în limba română pe FaṭăCarte Meta Zamolxis.

• A few articles were unpublished for false reasons in May 2023 (one placed behind a warning).
• A recent article of July 2024 was repeatedly censored for similarly unknown / made-up reasons.
• I mention image deletions and provide links to essays and articles written by others.

As you can see in the screenshot, back in May 2023 Google started censoring some of my articles – on the asa.zamo.ca blog, the articles “britannica print edition post-mortem” of 2012.03 was put behind a warning for readers because apparently it contains sensitive content, while the articles “whatz wong wid wohannis (Cf2C VII)” of 2014.11 and “TV (in Toronto) online II - evo, happyfish s.a.m.d.” of 2008.09 were unpublished for violating the “Malware and Viruses” policy. I didn’t have time to look into it but as a precaution, I will also publish/backup these articles on a Wordpress blog.

I thought that Google’s inability to make sense of more complex topics had something to do with its subpar AI (later on left in the dust but OpenAI, an upstart), and that’s partly the reason why I started this newer blog, trying to write simpler, more straightforward prose, with bullet points, so that even the “left behind” censors could make some sense of it. Alas, that was not enough.

Those were all old articles and the little time I had for this blog was better spent finishing up the articles that had accumulated in draft. But recently, when updating a relatively inoffensive, innocuous article on stuff I bought, I noticed that the article would be “held” on each update even though the update consisted basically of correcting bad links and small typos. Nothing justified this, much like nothing justified the censorship of the other articles.

This was scary, because it suggests that even the spammy, dumbed-down articles that Google algorithms seem to love, are subjected to the same jerky abuses of policy.

The other obvious issue I encountered has to do with image deletions. The header image of this blog, along with a large number of images from the older blog articles were deleted, possibly because they belonged to the old workspace account that itself had been deleted because I wasn’t going to give in to their blackmail and start to pay for it. This is not the end of the world, but it’s just another failure of Google to live up to its reputation – they could’ve transitioned the images to the new account I created; then again, they chose to take the ‘ac’ and ‘o’ out of their “accounts”.

I asked Perplexity for an opinion on Google censorship of blogs around May 2023 and I got a detailed answer.

In May 2023, Google implemented significant changes to its Blogger platform, which included enhanced censorship measures aimed at complying with local laws and regulations. This move has drawn criticism and raised concerns regarding freedom of expression and the implications for bloggers worldwide.

## Key Changes to Blogger Censorship

1. **Country-Specific Censorship**: Google announced that it would begin blocking access to certain blogs on Blogger based on the country of the user. This decision aligns with the company's ongoing efforts to comply with removal requests from various governments, which often cite laws pertaining to content deemed inappropriate or illegal within their jurisdictions[5][6].

2. **Impact on Content**: The changes have resulted in some blogs being inaccessible in specific regions, effectively censoring content that may not violate any global standards but does not meet local regulations. Critics argue that this practice undermines the principle of free speech, as it allows governments to dictate what information is available to their citizens[1][7].

3. **User Reactions**: Many users have expressed frustration over these changes, viewing them as a form of censorship that limits their ability to share opinions and information freely. Some bloggers have reported losing significant traffic and engagement due to these restrictions, leading to a sense of disillusionment within the blogging community[4][5].

4. **Google's Defense**: In response to criticisms, Google has maintained that its actions are necessary for compliance with local laws and that it is not actively censoring content but rather adhering to legal requirements. The company emphasizes its commitment to providing users with relevant information while navigating complex regulatory environments[1][2].

## Broader Context

This move is part of a larger trend where tech companies are increasingly pressured to enforce local content regulations, often resulting in the suppression of diverse viewpoints online. The implications of such censorship extend beyond Blogger, affecting various platforms and raising questions about the balance between legal compliance and the preservation of free expression on the internet[2][4].

Overall, Google's changes to Blogger reflect a growing tension between regulatory compliance and the fundamental principles of free speech, highlighting the challenges faced by digital platforms in a globalized internet landscape.

Citations:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_by_Google
[2] https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/09/13/1079381/google-jigsaw-outline-vpn-internet-censorship/
[3] https://sheknowsseo.co/google-march-core-update-2024-results/
[4] https://cloud.google.com/transform/cloud-and-consequences-internet-censorship-data-enters-the-transformation-age
[5] https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/google-censor-blogger-blogs-country-flna24099
[6] https://tass.com/archive/669156
[7] https://canaryadminservices.com/google-joins-blog-censorship-crusade/
[8] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/20/googles-retiring-of-internet-archiving-tool-draws-ire-of-china-researchers

This blog is not about Google or blogging – such topics are better left for BlogIdol, even though for that one, Google refuses to enable https (and it’s implicitly penalized). Still, it’s important to detail on this blog the idiosyncratic censorship that articles around here were subjected to. Until I get around to a deeper dive, it’s worth looking at an inventory of opinions from other publications.

To conclude, such erroneous deletions and general censorship of self-expression suggests either incompetence (if done or reviewed by human beings) or the inferiority and inadequacy to purpose of AI / automated tools, if these were used. It points to weak leadership. Given that, as previously discussed, business management studies in India include studying Mein Kampf, one has to wonder if censorship isn’t a direct result of people having those studies in Google’s C suite.

Sources / More info: Google Comms

1. 95-blgr – this blog chronicled Blogger changes over more than a decade under Google stewardship
2. w-criti – Google censorship and their criticism is so frequent and widespread that Wikipedia has articles on it
3. rgsr-prplx – While “re”-announcing the death of Google search and birth of Perplexity.ai, it revisits older articles documenting Google’s track record of failure
4. plcd-ensht – Cory Doctorow looks at how Google “enshittified” its search and the role played by..
5. wye-mwkggl – who killed Google search? Prabhakar Raghavan under CEO Sundar Pichai
6. wtf-igdb – another discussion of Google search changes affecting small blogs
7. sel-gglssp - Google’s 2023 Ads Safety Report revealed that it blocked or removed 12.7 million advertiser accounts
8. dg-gglgov - relationship between a country's political system and its content removal request to ggl 2011-21

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