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Thread: Google versus Scientology 0 - 1

  1. #1
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    Scientology force google to censor

    Using DMCA and threats of court actions, scientology has forced google to remove site´s from their database whom which are critical against their movement.
    A sad day for free speach. The site´s will still be up because they can´t touch them as they are situated in norway well, xenu and kvalito atleast). But if the means of finding them are cut off..
    slashdot
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    The scientology movement has managed to bitchslap google and I´m sad.

    Ofcourse, here´s the pages in question.

    www.xenu.net/
    www.xenu.net/archive/photoalbum/
    www.xenu.net/archive/photoalbum/propaganda/
    http://www.xenu.net/archive/photoalb...nda/index.html
    http://www.xenu.net/archive/photoalb...nda/prop1.html
    http://www.xenu.net/archive/photoalb...nda/prop2.html
    http://www.xenu.net/archive/photoalb...nda/prop3.html
    http://www.xenu.net/archive/photoalb...nda/prop4.html
    http://www.xenu.net/archive/photoalb...nda/prop5.html
    http://www.xenu.net/archive/photoalb...anda/prop6.htm
    www.xenu.net/archive/photoalbum/ clan-images.html
    http://www.xenu.net/archive/photoalb..._case_sup.html
    www.xenu.net/archive/events/
    www.xenu.net/archive/events/lisa_mcpherson/
    www.xenu.net/archive/disk/
    www.xenu.net/archive/disk/enemy/
    www.xenu.net/archive/disk/enemy/da.htm
    www.xenu.net/archive/disk/enemy/targets.htm
    www.xenu.net/archive/disk/archive/grd_chrt.htm
    www.xenu.net/archive/disk/OTIII/
    www.xenu.net/archive/hubbandcw/
    www.xenu.net/archive/greece/
    www.xenu.net/archive/HCOB/FU-HCOB-630511.html
    www.xenu.net/archive/HCOB/FU-HCOB-630714.html
    www.xenu.net/archive/HCOB/FU-HCOB-610619.html
    www.xenu.net/archive/enemy_names/
    http://www.xenu.net/archive/enemy_na..._agenting.html
    www.xenu.net/archive/enemy_names/targets.html
    www.xenu.net/archive/tonelevel.html
    www.xenu.net/archive/grade_chart.html
    www.xenu.net/archive/leaflet/
    www.xenu.net/archive/leaflet/xenuleaf.htm
    www.xenu.net/archive/leaflet/xenusw.htm
    www.xenu.net/archive/leaflet/xenunl.htm
    www.xenu.net/archive/leaflet/xenufr.htm
    www.xenu.net/archive/leaflet/xenufi.htm
    www.xenu.net/archive/leaflet/xenuno.htm
    www.xenu.net/archive/leaflet/xenuge.htm
    www.xenu.net/archive/leaflet/xenuaf.htm
    www.xenu.net/archive/leaflet/xenuru-k.htm
    www.xenu.net/archive/leaflet/xenuheb.htm
    www.xenu.net/archive/so/

    mirrors of xenu.net that are removed as well:
    www.clambake.org/
    home.kvalito.no/~xenu

  2. #2
    Senior Member
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    yea i heard about this one. Is an organisation really allowed to do that? I mean... wouldn't thay mean that people could try to 'censor' the internet? Or at least stop people from finding information they want?
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  3. #3
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    It is more a question of copyright law than censoring. Copyright takes presidence over freedom in America these days. And what is copyrightinh anyways? Didn't anyone learn from the hippies that you can't really "own" anything man? Oh yeah, except when the police are trying to take your stash, then someone else "owns" it.

  4. #4
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    I´m not sure if what they are doing is illegal but yes, it sure is censoring. I seriously can´t see what legal ground they would have against google.
    They claim that the pages in question are showing material that is under scientology copyright if I understand this correctly. I couldn´t find any of their bible material on the pages that has been removed except for in the leaflet part of the site. At the bottom is a picture of a hand written part of the bible. There are also references to Dianetics and Scientology (duh) in the documents, these are trademarks of the church. How the law is applied to those I don´t know.
    Dear Santa, I liked the mp3 player I got but next christmas I want a SA-7 surface to air missile

  5. #5
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    Yup, it's censorship allright and I think every part of this story sucks. It's a legal tragedy but I can see how it happened.

    The server's in norway thus can't be touched. Google is in the states and actually takes fragments of the copyrighted material presented on the server in norway. This, actually, makes google publish copyrighted material. On the other hand, on could argue that every single line of text google ever spits out is the copyright of someone, unless the text is generated by some artificial intelligence or something other non human.

    Anyway, the whole thing sucks. I wonder if google fought it at all?
    Mankan

    \"The purpose of abstraction is not to be vague, but to create a new semantic level in which one can be absolutely precise.\"
    - Edsger Dijkstra

  6. #6
    Junior Member
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    Jul 2001
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    After checking out xenu.net, I did a google for --scientology, vorlon, babylon-- and got a "sponsored link" for xenu.net. See text below:

    All about Scientology
    What is Scientology? Xenu.net is
    the definitive guide to Scientology
    www.xenu.net
    Interest:
    Have a day! (You choose what kind...)

  7. #7
    Senior Member
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    just goes to show how flawed the dmca laws really are. they can be twisted in any direction. it is in the hands of a judge now if xenu decides to battle it. but google really has no other option at this point. they are a business and need to cover their own backs and make sure they can be held liable. yes it is censorship, but it is the law, as twisted as it may be. damn shame too. scientology can get away with hiding so much vital information from the public just by using these flawed laws created to protect us and our copyrights, etc. it all amounts to who can get a better lawyer. in other words, money. and scientology has quite a bit. it is scary.

  8. #8
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    score 1 - 1

    You´ve probably already heard it but google put back the xenu pages in it´s database.
    The removal was an inadvertent misstake *cough* bollocks *cough*
    Anyhow, nice of google to stand up against these.. people.
    Earthlink users, maybe it´s time to discontinue your accounts? How much of internet is already censored by this scientology owned company?

    CNN
    Dear Santa, I liked the mp3 player I got but next christmas I want a SA-7 surface to air missile

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