Google targets, blocks pro-family website again (OneNewsNow.com)

Accusation: Google targets, blocks pro-family website again

Pete Chagnon - OneNewsNow - 7/15/2009 6:20:00 AM

Google is still being accused of causing problems for the website of a Massachusetts-based pro-family organization.

As previously reported on OneNewsNow, Google allegedly blocked the pro-family website MassResistance.org, when viewed through their search engine, because officials claimed the site contained malware (malicious software). MassResistance staff scoured the site for the alleged malware and found nothing. The site was then unblocked after much hassling and a $1,000 price tag to MassResistance.

Now Google is blocking the MassResistance blog, says the group. Google claims that some readers have contacted the company and complained that the blog material is objectionable. Google's answer was to post a content warning page that requires users to select whether they wish to proceed to the blog.

Brian Camenker, who heads MassResistance, says the warning page went up without any notice to his organization. He also believes the warning page was posted because some people claim his organization promotes hatred towards homosexuals. Camenker refers to the user policy of the Google blog site.

"'Users may not publish material that promotes hate towards groups based on race, ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, and sexual orientation/gender identity,'" he reads. "Of course we are not promoting hate against anybody; all we're saying is that this is what's happening and there's some dangerous stuff going [on] here."

Camenker cites examples of hate speech by urging his readers to visit homosexual blogs that he believes spew hatred toward religious groups, yet he points out that Google is doing nothing about those sites. He adds that on the MassResistance blog, he merely posts pictures, videos, and blogs that document and warn families of things that actually occur at homosexual "pride" events. He questions how his blog contents could be construed as hate speech.
Brian Camenker
"And I think people need to pay attention here because Google is starting to get a lot of power and they could very well -- they want to have their operating system and all of these applications over the web," he contends. "Suppose they chose you [referring to OneNewsNow.com] or somebody else and say we're going to shut you off. This is really worrisome."

According to Camenker, Twitter is even blocking their site. If a user "twitters" the MassResistance webpage, a warning will pop up claiming that the site contains malware and will block the post. Camenker says it took two tries to get Twitter to post the URL.

He also finds it frustrating that it is nearly impossible to talk to an actual person at Google instead of a recording. But for now, Camenker says he will circumvent the block by having a different site host his blog.