Google Outs States' Requests To Remove Listings

[JakeStratham]

If this is old news to you, I apologize. It's news to me, and maybe it is to a few other folks.

The gist: Google receives requests from governments around the globe to remove listings. The reasons vary. Google has been logging the requests and making the data available (in aggregate).

Here's an update from Google on the project:

Official Google Blog: More transparency into government requests

Here are Google's notes by country (July through December 2011):

Government – Google Transparency Report

Here's a bird's-eye view by country (July through December 2011):

Government – Google Transparency Report

Here's commentary at the Atlantic:

Technology - Rebecca J. Rosen - How Google Decides: Google's Transparency Report and What It Reveals About the Company's Role in the World - The Atlantic


Can you guess which government asked for the greatest number of items to be removed?

 

[mx=headroom]

Can you guess which government asked for the greatest number of items to be removed?

Haiti?

 

[JakeStratham]

Haiti?

Nope. Elbonia.

 

[sirthomas]

We received a request from the Passport Canada office to remove a YouTube video of a Canadian citizen urinating on his passport and flushing it down the toilet. We did not comply with this request.

Nice.