WebProNews

Google is becoming involved in yet another battle that may test its dedication to "free speech": an Australian group has accused the company's Blogger site of hosting what it describes as "racist and neo-Nazi content." The group has requested that the offensive blogs be removed, but Google hasn't budged.

This isn't the first time Google has protected some "questionable" content. In both Brazil and India, Google's Orkut service has drawn fire for some objectionable (user-created) content. The company mounted a legal defense in Brazil, which the country's court system rejected, while the Indian issue is still ongoing.

Now the search engine giant has, as described by The Sydney Morning Herald, "refused to remove" the controversial Australian blogs. One of those blogs proclaims that it "is here to combat Communism and Zionism within our borders," and features posts from a writer who has assumed the title "We Hate The Jews!"

The existence of these charming journals is being contested by a volunteer group called "FightDemBack!" The organization is promoting "a trans-Tasman campaign against racial hatred, xenophobia and fascism," according to its site. A co-founder, Brian Stokes, spoke to the Herald about the brewing situation.

"Blogger is absolutely insensitive to complaints about racist and neo-Nazi content," Stokes said. "Most other outfits [that provide free web space] like Angelfire and Tripod actually do respond."

Google's dedication to protecting privacy and free speech has generally been regarded as a positive thing. Public opinion could change, however, if cases like this continue to appear. It may be in Google's best interest to shut down the blogs in question, particularly since they appear to be in violation of the company's terms of service.

---
Tag:

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit | Furl

Bookmark WebProNews:

Doug is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest eBusiness news.