Google Ordered To Remove Almost 100 “Defamatory” Article Links from Search Results

In a move reminiscent of the WikiLeaks escapade, or perhaps of internet censorship in China, Spanish authorities for data protection have demanded that Google block some 100 article links directing searchers to potentially defamatory literature.

It appears the action has been the product of complaints lodged by the subjects of those articles, reinforced by the apparently logical conclusion drawn by the Spanish data protection authority that the only way to protect against the exposure of such sensitive commentaries and opinions is to dictate and censor search engine results.

Google has retaliated, challenging the knee-jerk reactions of Spanish authorities, and claiming that as an intercessor between users and websites, the search engine cannot be held responsible for the content it displays in its rankings. To impose such personal and highly targeted restrictions on the results provided by Google would be to severely impose freedom of expression, the current theme of the day.

To further mystify onlookers, it appears that the news stories in question will remain, as accessible as ever, on the newspaper sites from which the text originates. It is fair to summate that search engines, and particularly Google, act as the primary vehicle for internet traffic - the proportion of traffic driven by search engines as opposed to users travelling either directly to a site by entering a URL or by following a link on another site is consistently dominant - however, if the majority of people travelling to a protest was by bus, would it do to decommission the bus service?

The Google court case in Spain reflects a more general shift in the Spanish psyche over recent times. In June 2010, the Spanish privacy regulator stated that, year on year, complaints in Spain regarding public representation online have risen 75%. There is also the persistent accompanying debate surrounding the encroachment of privacy in the online domain, a subject which has burgeoned in the wake of accidental Google Street View data collection.

Despite the increasing levels of public suspicion regarding the online world and the invisible cloak it proffers to aspiring cyber criminals, to focus such hostility on Google is unhealthy. According to Padraig Reidy of Index on Censorship, the decision made by the court will have “massive ramifications” for future freedom of expression within the realm of search engine results. Reidy questioned the logic behind the judgement:

“If Spain is punishing search engines for indexing content how can there be freedom of expression?“

For many, the intertwining strands of the growing public discontent and calls for transparency do not equate with the most recent call for the removal of articles from search results, with the latter threatening to hamper the progress of an open internet.

Google will challenge the libelous links claims in Madrid on Wednesday, the result of which will surely inform future cases, and set a precedent for internet censorship in Spain.