Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) is again having issues with the European Union as the French data protection authority Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) is asking the Internet giant to remove results not only from the local search engine but also from the Google.com – the global search domain for Google. The decision of not removing the results may seem wrong, but the Internet giant is trying to protect the Internet Freedom and Freedom of Speech.
Google drives 90 percent of world’s search traffic, and sometimes it shows results of personal information, bank details or the credit card information. The French government wants Google to remove such results from indexing or even ban the domains from showing up in the search results. As per the requests, Google is already banning them on the local search engines but not on global Google.com domain.
It’s not the only the EU, but Google also receives requests to remove the URL of websites containing copyright content from companies.
However, France is trying to convert the Google search engine into a controlling authority that manages the entire Internet. Something that can demote or promote a website based not on the ranking or content, but because a government has asked to do so. Indeed, this would break the Freedom of Speech or Internet Freedom and will damage the ecosystem the Internet giant has maintained.
The French government isn’t aware of the fact that the websites which aren’t appearing on the Internet still exists on the web. People who are interested in finding credentials of a person would search them on Facebook and social profiles, and they will also have the direct URLs of the websites containing details about other credentials.
Hundreds of exploits and credit card information are exchanged on the Internet using the Dark Web sites. Google doesn’t track or index such websites, but still are accessible to those who want. You can buy drugs, human organs, child pornography and live humans there.
EU and other parts of this world must unite to fight such issues because hundreds and thousands of innocent lives are getting trapped into this every day. Children are getting addicted to the drugs and are given weapons instead of toys. From where all these coming? Not from your personal details, of course, but from the real criminals trying to break the peace in this world.
Google counts 90% of the world’s traffic and can certainly help the French government have the details of their citizens removed from the search results, not from the website.
We have seen several amendments coming from EU on computers and the internet. Let’s make one more law that helps hosting providers justify the content of their customers and remove it from the Internet if it’s not in the public Interest. We aren’t breaking the Freedom of Speech, but making it even more protected and secure.
One last thing, Google shouldn’t be responsible for removing the search results. Banks and other organization storing the details of their customers must implement strong security features — The physical safety isn’t just enough these days.
