21 April 2010 | Author: D. Warburton Search Copywriter

Google's government request tool shines a light on censorship

Google has lifted the lid on how nations across the world request user data or censorship of its search engine, in the wake of the debacle with China.

Although Google said it could not provide statistics on censorship requests made by the Chinese government, due to these being regarded as 'state secrets', the search seraph has launched an online tool to help break down the figures for other countries worldwide in the interests of freedom of expression and greater transparency.

The BBC reports that Google's move towards disclosure is "in the spirit" of the Global Network Initiative, a group that also includes rival companies Yahoo! and Microsoft among its members, that is committed to freedom of expression online.

The country with the highest number of data requests on Google's list is Brazil with 3,663, followed closely by the United States with 3,580. The UK was third, with a much smaller 1,166 data requests. The tool also reveals that Brazil made 291 calls for Google to remove data between the months of July and December 2009, while the US made 123 calls over the same period.

Google's chief legal officer, David Drummond, said the government request tool is "just the first step toward increased transparency."

He explained: "The vast majority of these requests are valid and the information needed is for legitimate criminal investigations or for the removal of child pornography.

"We believe that greater transparency will lead to less censorship. Unless companies, governments and individuals do something, the internet we know is likely to become ever more restricted - taking choice and control away from users and putting more power in the hands of those who would limit access to information."

The company revealed that as of today, 40 governments censor information through their search engine, compared to just four back in 2002. Google has denied suggestions that the launch of its tool on the same day that Canada's privacy commissioner issued Google boss Eric Schmidt with an open letter concerning privacy issues was directly related.

Even this move towards greater transparency has been met with criticism from those who believe Google is not being open enough. Writing for Cnet.com, Tom Krazit said: "Google's numbers are not nearly as transparent as they could be.

"The tool doesn't break out the data for the number of times Google complied or refused requests for information on individuals. It does say how often - in general - it complies with takedown requests, but does not provide specifics."

Google has confirmed that it will be working to perfect the information disclosed by its government request tool, with an improved release expected in six months.

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