The term “Google Slap†comes from Google’s notorious reputation for slapping entrepreneurs down for no apparent reason, then closing their accounts with no explanation….well maybe a week later you’ll get a reply like “you violated Adwords policies†if you ask real nicely.
They don’t tell you which policy you violated. Instead, they just shut you down.
Well, it appears the Russian government is doing the same thing to giant’s video channel YouTube.
YouTube filed a suit against Russian regulators regarding a law that restricts content that officials believe to be potentially harmful to children.
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If you ever been slapped by Google, you have to appreciate the irony, and the sort of poetic justice occurring in Russia. Someone is telling Google what can and can not be shown, and not the other way around.
While I’m not a big fan of censorship regarding anything Internet, there are certain things that should be kept from the eyes of impressionable young minds.
So who gets the to draw the line?
You do.
There are safety controls on YouTube that allow to censor certain things. I’m not crazy about the idea of a video channel, or a government telling me what my child can watch, that’s my job as a parent.
The problem with censorship is that it puts you at the wrong end. The case in Russia doesn’t restrict just the kids from seeing certain videos, it’s blocks everyone in Russia.
While I agree that these “suicidal videos†are not good for children or anyone else, my concern is that once censorship takes place, what’s the next thing they’ll go after….I’m talking about the Russian regulators and Google properties here….they are both guilty of censorship.