Don’t be evil…. consistently
by schwim on May.21, 2008, under Miscellaneous
Remember when Google’s motto was “Don’t be Evil“? Well, Google long ago turned that into lip service, but at least upheld a facade of a corporate entity driven by do-gooders and white knights.
Take their latest stand for all that is good.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman has attempted to pressure Google into removing videos posted on YouTube by terrorist organizations, since it promotes hate & propaganda. Oh and some have people getting beheaded. Google declined, stating that the videos didn’t violate any guidelines set by YouTube. From YouTube’s blog posting:
YouTube encourages free speech and defends everyone’s right to express unpopular points of view. We believe that YouTube is a richer and more relevant platform for users precisely because it hosts a diverse range of views, and rather than stifle debate we allow our users to view all acceptable content and make up their own minds.
You know what? Bully for them! If I have the right to spout hate-speech, then those with differing views should be afforded the same opportunity.
My issue isn’t with their refusal to censor content for the good of the common man. I’m just wondering why they’re a little inconsistent with their refusal to censor their users. They often delete or censor anti-islam content on YouTube, sometimes going so far as to ban user accounts.
And it’s not just a YouTube thing. Anyone remember when they censored all of Google search for China? That’s a whole lot of censoring going on.
Their new motto should be “Don’t be <censored>”.
