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MarTech » Customer & Digital Experience » Report: Google Declines White House Request To Take Down Controversial Mohammed Video In The US

Report: Google Declines White House Request To Take Down Controversial Mohammed Video In The US

The White House reportedly requested that Google reconsider its decision to keep up the controversial video of Mohammed that sparked protests, and a deadly attack on the US Embassy in Libya, in the United States. But the search giant, which owns and operates YouTube, declined, though it has already taken down the video in Libya, […]

Pamela Parker on September 14, 2012 at 7:14 pm

The White House reportedly requested that Google reconsider its decision to keep up the controversial video of Mohammed that sparked protests, and a deadly attack on the US Embassy in Libya, in the United States. But the search giant, which owns and operates YouTube, declined, though it has already taken down the video in Libya, Egypt, Indonesia and India — where it says the video’s content violates local laws. it remains available elsewhere.

The video, titled “The Innocence of Muslims,” depicts the Prophet Mohammed as a philanderer and fraud, deeply offending followers of the Muslim religion, which forbids even depicting Mohammed at all. However, Google told media outlets that the content doesn’t violate its terms of service in the US, so it will stay up.

In this situation, Google is put in the difficult position of trying to avoid contributing to violence — four U.S. Embassy employees were killed in Libya by people angry over the video — while also honoring free speech rights. Typically, Google has only taken down content in response to requests by copyright holders or law enforcement agencies, rather than policing them itself proactively.

The controversy highlights the important role of advertising-supported internet media in significant world events. Twitter, too, found itself in a politically-charged situation this week, finally agreeing to hand over an Occupy protestor’s tweets in response to a judge’s subpoena.


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About The Author

Pamela Parker
Pamela Parker is Research Director at Third Door Media's Content Studio, where she produces MarTech Intelligence Reports and other in-depth content for digital marketers in conjunction with Search Engine Land and MarTech. Prior to taking on this role at TDM, she served as Content Manager, Senior Editor and Executive Features Editor. Parker is a well-respected authority on digital marketing, having reported and written on the subject since its beginning. She's a former managing editor of ClickZ and has also worked on the business side helping independent publishers monetize their sites at Federated Media Publishing. Parker earned a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University.

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