The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Google Australia has agreed to remove links to a website that promotes racist views against the indigenous Australians.
This happened after an Aboriginal man Steve Hodder-Watt typed the words “Aboriginal and Encyclopedia” in the search engine and found the Encyclopedia Dramatica Aborigine entry page. He tried to modify the entry, but was blocked from doing so. Frustrated, Hodder-Watt lodged a complaint to Google Australia and then the Human Rights Commission in an attempt to have the links removed from the search engine. His lawyer, George Newhouse, claimed that the page on Aboriginal people in Encyclopedia Dramatica is “one of the most offensive sorts of racial vilification you could possibly find.”
Although the Encyclopedia Dramatica Aborigine page has been removed by Google Australia, but Australians can still see that censored search result outside Google.com.au. Apparently, Google didn’t rectify the issue completely.
It’s quite ironic that Google agrees to comply with Australian law, even in the context of the ongoing Google China debate.
There are quite reasons why Google may want to pull out of China. First of all, Google, whose unofficial slogan is “Don’t be evil”, says it objects to censorship and increasing curbs on free speech in China. Campaigners, who denounced Google when it began censoring search results in China in 2006 to appease the authorities, have applauded the company’s latest stand.
Another reason is to protect its business model. Hackings and censorship could affect Google’s global franchise and business model, which is built on the trust that it takes utmost care in protecting users’ privacy, analysts say. Google has little to lose as its business in China remains small nearly four years after its entry into the market. Estimates put Google’s China revenue last year at about US$300 million, a far cry from its global sales of more than US$22 billion.
Via SMH, Inquisitr, Reddit, The Sunday Times