[IP] Google To Shut Down Violent User Groups in Brazil

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Brad Malin <brad.malin@gmail.com>
Date: May 30, 2006 9:07:44 AM EDT
To: dave@farber.net
Subject: Google To Shut Down Violent User Groups in Brazil

Hi Dave, this may be of interest to the IP readers.

Regards,

-brad


http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=16934

Friday, May 26, 2006
Google To Shut Down Violent User Groups in Brazil
In response to a human-rights commission, the search engine will now
monitor more closely its website communities.
By Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -- Google Inc. said Wednesday that it has
agreed to shut down some communities on its popular Orkut social
networking site because the Brazilian government says they advocate
violence and human rights violations.

Google agreed to shut down any sites that violate Orkut's terms of
service, which forbid ''any illegal or unauthorized purpose,'' after
the company met Tuesday with a Brazilian human rights commission,
which presented evidence that Brazilians have been using the
invitation-only networking site to promote crimes and violence.

Orkut is extremely popular in Brazil with some 8 million users,
representing about a quarter of all Brazilians who have access to the
Internet.

In recent years, news reports have linked drug dealing operations and
organized fights between soccer fans to Orkut communities. One
community allegedly advocated killing the president and planting a
bomb in Congress and explained those thing might be done.

<snip>

Google, however, did not confirm whether or not they would be handing
over user data to the Brazilian government, and said it was still
waiting Wednesday for Greenhalgh to provide a list of the questionable
sites.

<snip>


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