Google released its traditional six-month Transparency Report Thursday, the seventh since the company started releasing this type of data in 2010. And, according to the report, which covers July to December of 2012, attempts by governments around the world to censor political content on the Internet are increasing.
"From July to December 2012, we received 2,285 government requests to remove 24,179 pieces of content—an increase from the 1,811 requests to remove 18,070 pieces of content that we received during the first half of 2012," Google's Legal Director Susan Infantino wrote in a blog post.
These types of requests have doubled since the second half of 2011, when governments made 1,054 requests to remove 12,071 items.
In the blog post, Infantino points out the dramatic increase in government censorship attempts. "It’s become increasingly clear that the scope of government attempts to censor content on Google services has grown," she wrote. "In more places than ever, we’ve been asked by governments to remove political content that people post on our services."
For Google, Brazil is a particularly striking example. The country's total requests (counting both court orders and "other requests") in the first half of last year were 191, in the second half they grew to 697. The Brazilian municipal elections are the main reason behind it. Infantino adds that half of the total requests were alleging violations of the Brazilian Electoral Code, which forbids defamation against candidates.
Infantino reveals that Google is appealing many of those requests, "on the basis that the content is protected by freedom of expression under the Brazilian Constitution," she wrote.
Another example of a country with sharp increases in these attempts is Russia. After the approval of a new Internet blacklist law last fall — which YouTube legally challenged in February — Russian government requests grew from just six in the first half of the year to 114.
Finally, Google refers to the controversial YouTube video "Innocence of Muslims," which in September spurred violent protests around the Middle East. Google reveals 20 countries made inquiries about the video. And "after receiving formal legal complaints," the company restricted access to the video in "several countries in accordance with local law," Infantino wrote.
As for the United States, the number of requests has slightly increased from 273 in the first half of 2012 to 321 in the second half of the year.
Take a look at Google's full Transparency Report here.
By Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
