What's defamatory content? Only Google knows

BANGALORE, INDIA: Defamatory, offensive, hateful, harmful to minors and infringes copyright. These are some adjectives that describe the content that the Indian authorities want Google to remove.

There has been a marked increase of 49 pc in the number of requests made by Indian authorities to Google to delete the content deemed derogatory. Yes, yet another adjective.

Is an Orkut profile criticizing a politician offensive? No, says the Google. "We received a request from a local law enforcement agency to remove 236 communities and profiles from Orkut that were critical of a local politician. We did not comply with this request, since the content did not violate our community standards or local law," Google said in a report.

The IT Rules 2011 require Internet companies to remove within 36 hours of being notified by the authorities any content that is deemed objectionable, particularly if its nature is “defamatory,” “hateful,” “harmful to minors,” or “infringes copyright”.  

So, what is the criteria to delete content? Google says content will be removed only if it violates local laws or incites community violence.

Though it is not very clear what the takedown requests exactly refer to, to a large extent,  they are the YouTube videos or blogs trying to perpetrate terrorism or hate speeches or using offensive language against political or religious leaders.

Dorothy Chou, senior policy analyst, in an official Google blog says Google treats government content-removal requests on a case-by-case basis but not before using a filter to check if a request is sufficiently narrow and whether it cites an applicable local law.

As rules differ worldwide, Google uses its discretion while obliging to a request. When Germany requested removal of 70 YouTube videos for allegedly violating the German Children and Young Persons Act, Google, instead of removing them, restricted some videos from view in Germany.

The company declined a request from Pakistan's Ministry of Information Technology to remove six YouTube videos that satirized the Pakistani politicians. But, it agreed to delete six videos insulting modern Turkey's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, at the request of Turkish authorities.

While 640 YouTube videos allegedly promoting terrorism were removed in the UK, Google declined a request from Canadian authorities to remove a YouTube video of a Canadian citizen urinating on his passport and flushing it down the toilet.