Google on the Defensive About Michelle
Google is being criticized because it allows search results to show a Photoshoped image of Michelle Obama altered to make her look like a monkey. It's a despicable photo. Many people argue that Google shouldn't allow people to find it.

As much as I dislike that photo, Google can't take this path. And why, I wonder, aren't those same people up in arms about all the other stuff on the internet which can turn up in search results?

You can find white nationalist sites, anti-Semitic sites, information on making a bomb, unflattering caricatures of nearly any public figure, and pretty much anything having to do with sex. All things considered, this photo seems pretty trivial. If Google censors this one photo, it opens a huge, huge door. Imagine all the people who will come storming through the door next, pointing out how their pet cause was slighted and demanding that Google make it stop.

Google says, "We do not remove a page from our search results simply because its content is unpopular or because we receive complaints concerning it."

Except in China. There, if the Chinese government says remove it, they remove it. But in America...let the photo remain. And let those people all in a huff about it go after some of the multitude of other junk on the web which is far, far more offensive. Or, go after whoever created the photo, and the people who post it.

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About Me

Steve DennieCareer-wise, I've been hanging around and writing about and cheering on churches and pastors for the past 25 years as my denomination's Communications Director.
I write primarily for my own amusement. If anyone wants to eavesdrop, they're welcome to it. My heartbeat is serving God faithfully through the local church. But my posts repeatedly stray into sports, politics, movies, and other nonsense.
I've been blogging since 2004, and it's been fun. Please understand that, though I work for the United Brethren in Christ denomination, the nonsense I spew out here comes from my own semi-functional brain in a totally personal, non-official capacity. Yes, that's a disclaimer.

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Steve Dennie published on November 30, 2009 8:54 AM.

Inferior to Canada? What Up with That? was the previous entry in this blog.

No Good Options in Afghanistan is the next entry in this blog.

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