Open Letter on Censorship and Google
from truthdig:
Open Letter on Censorship and Google
Posted on Oct 1, 2014
By Zuade Kaufman
George Orwell was right: Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.
Such power isnt limited to rewriting history. It extends to defining what we hear, what we read, what we sayand ultimately what we think. It affects all of us, especially those who believe in the potential of words to shine a light on hidden agendas, hold the powerful to answer, and express ideas that shape our values.
The threat is both from governments, which feel a need to control their people, and from companies that have an unceasing urge to increase their power and their wealth.
.....(snip).....
Earlier this year Google threatened to block an award-winning UK-based music webzine, Drowned in Sound, for displaying covers of albums by Sigur Rós, a post-rock band from Reykjavik, and Lambchop, an alternative/country band from Nashville. DiS fixed the matter by laying colored squares over the disputed areas. But DiS founder Sean Adams worried out loud that Google was only a small step away from seriously compromising freedom of expression.
For the past 18 months,
Truthdig has been engaged in on-and-off battles with Googleand its been baffling for us. At best, the rules being imposed are poorly defined. At worst, they are arbitrarily imposed. ......................(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/open_letter_on_censorship_and_google_20141002