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Google Refuses to Comply with Australia’s Content Rules

Google will not "voluntarily" comply with the government of Australia’s request that it censor YouTube content so it is in accord with broad "Refused Classification" (RC) content rules.

According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, Australia Communications Minister Stephen Conroy "referred to Google's censorship on behalf of the Chinese and Thai governments in making his case for the company to impose censorship locally." In response, Google warned "this could lead to the removal of many politically controversial, but harmless, YouTube clips." Google Australia's head of policy, Iarla Flynn, added that Conroy's comparisons between how Australia and China deal with access to information were “not helpful or relevant." Bjorn Landfeldt, an associate professor at the University of Sydney, said that to comply with the broad RC content rules, "Google would have to install a filter along the lines of what they actually have in China."

ARMA International International Policy Brief, February 2010

Full International Policy Brief