As the U.S. debate rages on about the appropriate policies for preventing piracy, the United Kingdom is on schedule to implement controversial countermeasures. More specifically, the new laws of the UK may require search engines and other sites to block the Domain Name Server (DNS) of sites recognized as being “cyberlockers,” hubs for illegal content on the web. In a statement on behalf of Google, Eric Schmidt – former CEO and current executive chairman – stated that these laws could set a “disastrousprecedent” for free speech in the UK and abroad.
These statements were made in the journalist Q&A after Google’s Big Tent conference in London on May 18th. When asked how Google would respond to these laws, as well as similar laws being debated in the United States, Schmidt acknowledged that Google would stand by any mandatory regulations, but that “If there is a law that requires DNSs to do X and it’s passed by both houses of congress and signed by the President of the United States […] we would still fight it. If it’s a request, the answer is we wouldn’t do it. If it’s a discussion, we wouldn’t do it.”
That’s because, according to Schmidt, these laws could lead to the same sort of repression that’s seen in Chinese internet censorship. While there are several steps of separation, restricting a DNS you don’t like because of its file sharing content could lead to banning all content that government officials found to be offensive, unfavorable, or in some other way unpleasant. Further, negative impact isn’t limited to the UK. Referring to the UK’s plans, Schmidt stated, “If you do it wrong, it could have disastrous precedent setting in other areas.”
These statements represent some of the most clear and up-front statements from Google on the topic. Google has long been fighting against these controversial laws both in the UK and U.S., and has sent representatives to senate hearings and other official discussions to give the Google viewpoint on the topic.
[via The Guardian]
