Sign up for a new account or log in here:
also @ TechSpot: Intel confirms a smartwatch is in the pipeline
The decision as to whether or not to block pirated movies and music from search results has been raging on for some time now. It is believed that Google received some 50 million link removal requests in 2012 – led by the Recording Industry Association of America, naturally. Now thanks to a new survey from American Assembly, we have some solid numbers on what web surfers would like to see done on the subject.
According to the Columbia University-based survey, 53 percent of respondents said they would like to see access to sites hosting pirated content blocked from search engine results. This comes from more than 2,000 US citizens via telephone interview in August 2011. The same survey also revealed that among German residents, 69 percent supported blocking such sites.
As Neowin points out, these results are just a small part of an overall larger survey on copy culture. It’s worth pointing out that the majority of those surveyed in the states believe it’s alright to share content they own among friends and family. When it comes to public sharing, however, most were against the practice.
The survey brings up an interesting question actually; perhaps one that a lot of our readers have never even considered. With that said, how often do you encounter links to pirated content while using your favorite search engine? Do you believe such content should remain a part of search results or would you rather see big names like Google and Microsoft block them completely?
User Comments: 27
Got something to say? Post a comment-
IvanAwfulitch said:
Here we have yet another case of sensationalism. The researchers set out to prove their point, whether it was a good point or not, and then proved it. Whether the responses were verified or not is not the issue here. The issue here is that it's just another study that these "internet police" are going to use to argue their case.
But is it a good argument? Obviously, no it isn't. The internet doesn't belong to 2000 unnamed people they got over the phone, it belongs to the billions of people using the web across the globe. Whatever the hell 2000 people said in the United States should mean jack squat in the overall scheme of things, not just because of how arrogant it is to suggest that 2000 people and a few researchers have the right to dictate what's shown on the web, but because the sample is nowhere near being representative of anything.
Google would be insane to listen to a very tiny and select demographic of self-reports aimed at something that nobody wants, whether it's pirated or no. It's against every possible issue of freedom of speech out and censorship out there. Until I see reports that the majority of US citizens ACTUALLY want this type of censorship, I won't take even a scrap of an argument as proof.
-
not just because of how arrogant it is to suggest that 2000 people and a few researchers have the right to dictate what's shown on the web, but because the sample is nowhere near being representative of anything.Which is how I feel about the House of Representatives. The proper term would be closer to the House of Mis-representatives. I will always be skeptical of any polls presented by a select few. Polls will always differ depending on which group of people you ask.
Most Popular
| Trending | Featured |
Subscribe to TechSpot
Get free exclusive content, learn about new features and breaking tech news.