Google to leave Australia over 'evil' filter

ZDNet ^ | April 1, 2010 | Liam Tung

[naturalman1975]

I’m not sure if you are talking about what is really happening, or the joke, but...

there is no internet filter in Australia yet, and the one the government is proposing (which is unconstitutional and will be struck down even if introduced) will not cover bittorrent, peer to peer, or anything at all, except the web. So it wouldn’t even prevent most of the material it is supposedly intended to block anyway - most of the truly questionable material is not on the web.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Imbécile d’avril.

[ConservativeMind]

“Look, we believe in competition, and now that Google is leaving Australia we will be able to compete,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.

So, to Microsoft, no competition means they can “compete?”

[myknowledge]

They’d be ‘competing’ against the Australian government.

[ConservativeMind]

So, Kiwis are prohibited by Australia’s laws from not having sex with their sheep on public roads?

[garjog]

[TChad]

"Look, we believe in competition, and now that Google is leaving Australia we will be able to compete," a Microsoft spokesperson said.

Heh.

[concentric circles]

Roads, adjacent fields, and hillsides.

[Brad from Tennessee]

You had me going there for about seven paragraphs.

[DoughtyOne]

Google left China?

Why does it seem like I remember hearing something about China toying with Google content in China just recently?

It seems like it was just last week. Did Googly finally grow a pair and leave in the last few days?

Funny the patience Google showed China, even censoring it’s own content, then cutting loose from Australia on the spur of the moment by comparison.

Am I mischaracterizing this?

[myknowledge]

China had implemented its Great Firewall, then Google tried to come up with circumventing it and then pulled out.

Australia showed no patience toward Google. They were told to leave Oz, or else.

[Pinkbell]

I was April Fooled.

[Allegra]

April Fools

And a lot of people are still taking it seriously. ;-)

The quotes about the food in China and the kitchen at the Sydney office were dead giveaways. LOL

[athelass]

LOL! My d-i-l is a Kiwi. Contrary to popular opinion, Kiwis are prohibited from doing just about everything, including working for a living, hence the, ahem, sign (pretty sure that’s not real;). They have become very much a socialist welfare state, which is why all their young people are leaving. Guess they’d rather have sex with people :)

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Google has been filtering out a lot of conservative word hunts lately. It’s aggravating as heck.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Strange world, isn’t it?

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

[Straight face.]

[DoughtyOne]

Google didn’t decide to completely abandon China until March 22nd, 2010. They had been at odds with the Chinese government for a considerable period of time.

Now just nine days later, and they are pulling out of Australia. It sure seems like they had less patience with Australia than they had with China.

Thanks for the response. It seems you are saying Australia booted Google. Interesting... thanks for the mention.

[DoughtyOne]

Yes.

[TChad]

Google just changed its name to