How many governments are blocking Google?

Davey Winder
Wednesday, 21 April 2010 00:42

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

Search giant admits that 25 governments are now censoring Google content

While it comes as no surprise to anyone that China is blocking Google perhaps you might be at least a little bemused to discover that it is not the only government to get the Google blues.

Indeed, according to Rachel Whetstone, Vice President, Global Communications and Public Affairs with Google, censorship of the web and of Google itself is a growing problem.

Writing on the official Google Policy Europe blog, Whetstone claims that the increased government censorship of the web is "undoubtedly driven" by the record numbers of people with access to it.

She warns that "even benign intentions can result in the specter of real censorship" and goes on to explain that the more repressive of regimes are building firewalls and "cracking down on dissent online."

According to the Open Net Initiative there were only four or so governments that were censoring the Internet back in 2002. Just eight years later and that number has risen to a total of more than 40.

Whetstone admits that Google products, including search, blogging and YouTube, have now been blocked in 25 of the 100 countries where they are offered.

More on next page, including why Google thinks those governments are breaking the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...