Never mind the bat signal – cops in India have been equipped with a sort of “red phone” e-mail address at Google. The search engine giant, according to various Indian sources, wants to help put a stop to hate speech and other objectionable content that’s been showing up on Orkut.
This isn’t the first time that Google has had problems with its social networking site; issues in Australia and Brazil, as well as India, have also been made public. Each time the company has given in to governmental and/or societal pressures more quickly than the last (or so it appears to this humble writer, anyway).
The debate about free speech versus hate speech is best saved for another time and place, however. As reported by the Indian Express, Google is moving ahead with its new deal with law enforcement, regardless: “We reached a working agreement whereby Orkut has agreed to provide us details of the IP address from which an objectionable message or blog has been posted on the site and the Internet service provider involved,” said the Sanjay Mohite, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Enforcement.
Mohite went on to indicate that he’d like to expand upon the current deal, saying, “We are also hoping to rope in U Tube [sic] in the future.” Odds are good that the deputy commissioner’s wish will be granted, considering how Google handled the recent mess in Turkey.
Don’t fret too much, though – Google isn’t completely changing its ways. As a representative told ContentSutra (“India’s Digital Monitor”), “Authorities will still be required to follow an appropriate legal process in order to get user-identifying information.”
