Since Google exerts a not inconsiderable influence on how content is located and disseminated online, the company’s regularly issued report revealing which governments and organizations have “requested” the elimination of content they deem undesirable is an important contribution that clearly shows what a fragile construction the internet truly is.
In cases of copyright infringement, their hands are often tied. Nevertheless, requests by governments are interesting indeed. And the absolute number of requests is by no means shockingly high; rather, the problem is that it’s steadily increasing. According to the report, Austria filed four such requests in the second half of 2011, as a result of which a total of 22 objects (e.g. articles, websites) were removed.
And even if this report probably reflects only a fraction of the truth, it’s to be seen as a laudable development that a company of this size is making an effort to achieve at least a modicum of transparency. The wish that governments would take this good example to heart is unfortunately still pretty much of a pipe dream.