Once again, Google is faced with security issues that have widespread implication. Google is being asked to limit the content of YouTube, which is a part of its corporate conglomerate. On this occasion, it is to prevent terrorists from using YouTube as a means of communication and propaganda:

“…While YouTube has community guidelines for its users, Lieberman said “it does not appear that [Google] is enforcing these guidelines to the extent they would apply to [terrorist] content.

“Searches on YouTube return dozens of videos branded with an icon or logo identifying the videos as the work of one of these Islamist terrorist organizations,” Lieberman said. “A great majority of these videos document horrific attacks on American soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan. Others provide weapons training, speeches by al-Qaeda leadership, and general material intended to radicalize potential recruits.”"

link: Senator Lieberman Wants Terrorist Videos Removed From YouTube

While there may be universal agreement that terrorism should be thwarted by every possible means, it also places Google in the role of policing the internet. Terrorists to one country are fundamentalist warriors to other cultures. Google and other internet firms are finding themselves at the center of controversial issues. For example, ‘when is a religion a cult’ - ‘when is free speech hate mongering’ - ‘when does a technology follow local legislation which is at odds with the laws of its home country’…

Such questions places Google and other technology companies in the position of shaping the cultural Zeitgeist. It makes it very difficult to follow the corporate philosophy of ‘don’t be evil’. A corporate motto of ‘evil by forced legislation’ does not have the same cachet.

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster: http://flyinghamster.com/

Tags: google, security, terrorism, legislation, zeitgeist