Another Canadian Politician Raising Money From The Companies She Regulates

Someone Please Explain To The Iranian Government That Anyone Can Upload Videos To Google Video

from the here's-how-it-works,-you-see... dept

Mon, Nov 13th 2006 3:33pm — Mike Masnick

A bunch of folks have been submitting the story about how Iran is pissed off at Google over a video suggesting that an Iranian town is actually in Azerbaijan, with government officials suggesting that Iranian people flood Google with complaints. Unfortunately, the article isn't entirely clear, leading some of the blogs discussing this issue to miss the point entirely. This actually has nothing to do with Google (some blogs say that Google maps places the town in the wrong country, but that's not the case). It's actually just a tourist video that someone uploaded with their own description, saying the town is in Azerbaijan. Google has absolutely nothing to do with this, other than being the platform on which the video is hosted. They didn't write the description. They didn't approve the description. Frankly, it seems likely that they couldn't care any less about the description. However, it doesn't seem like the Iranian officials understand that at all, suggesting that this is a case of Google's "interference in the affairs of another country," while a newspaper claims that this is a "dubious" act by Google. Perhaps before they bash Google so hard they should actually understand how the system works and that Google has absolutely nothing to do with the content or description of the video. Of course, that's not nearly as simple as just blaming Google.

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37 Comments

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Stu, 13 Nov 2006 @ 3:56pm

Here comes another holy war.
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k, 13 Nov 2006 @ 4:08pm

here comes the jihad
Can't wait until the jihad and fatwas start against the great Satan - Google! I hope that the Iranians will quickly realize that this whole thing makes them look like total idiots.

At least the Chinese usually know what they're talking about when they want to censor the Internet.
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Alex, 13 Nov 2006 @ 4:12pm

Iranians and Google
Hah! Google is going to get nuked by Iran!
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Mike, 13 Nov 2006 @ 4:22pm

Just goes to show
...how stupid some Iranians are. I motion to disconnect all WAN links to/from Iran immediately and permanently.
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dorpus, 13 Nov 2006 @ 4:25pm

Conversely
If some Iranian tourist took a video of bulls being castrated alive at a bullfight in Mexico, then claimed that it happened in "America", would Americans stand still?
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- Anonymous Coward, 13 Nov 2006 @ 4:36pm
  
  Re: Conversely
  Yeah, most americans I know couldn't care less about stuff like that.
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- cephyn, 13 Nov 2006 @ 4:36pm
  
  Re: Conversely
  Wow, thats even lamer than your usual troll attempts dorpus.
  
  the answer is, no, americans wouldn't stand still - but they'd go after the Iranians and not the service that played the video.
  
  got any better troll questions? I mean at least make it more difficult!
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  - dorpus, 13 Nov 2006 @ 4:47pm
    
    Re: Re: Conversely
    the answer is, no, americans wouldn't stand still - but they'd go after the Iranians and not the service that played the video.
    
    Really? So if the video had been uploaded to Google, Americans wouldn't complain to Google, Google wouldn't quickly take down the video, and there wouldn't be a double standard?
    
    yes, no one would care, even if the government prodded us too- but you knew that
    
    So would Google tolerate an anti-semitic video uploaded by an Iranian, showing Jews drinking baby blood? Or does "freedom of speech" in America apply only against Muslims and less powerful minorities?
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    - John, 13 Nov 2006 @ 5:09pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: Conversely
      A jewish civil rights group might ASK Google to take it down, once it had been brought to their attention but wouldn't blame Google for it.
      
      I don't know if Google would even comply..but I'm sure a Jewish civil rights group would TRY to get it taken down.
      
      Regardless.. American government, American People and Civil Rights groups would condemn GOOGLE.
      
      If Iran asked Google to take it down, now that it has been brought to their attention..that's fine. But they shouldn't get all pissy about it.
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      - dorpus, 13 Nov 2006 @ 10:47pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Conversely
        oh yeah! well what if snakes ate your baby sister and then it started raining frogs? let's see how you feel about complaints lodged against a hosting service instead of the content creator when that happens!
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    - Anonymous Coward, 14 Nov 2006 @ 6:59am
      
      Re: Re: Re: Conversely
      So would Google tolerate an anti-semitic video uploaded by an Iranian, showing Jews drinking baby blood? Or does "freedom of speech" in America apply only against Muslims and less powerful minorities?
      
      Why dont you try it and let us know how it worked out.
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- jason, 13 Nov 2006 @ 4:38pm
  
  Re: Conversely
  yes, no one would care, even if the government prodded us too- but you knew that
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lol, 13 Nov 2006 @ 4:36pm

so...
well in china google's censored and now starting a holy war. GASP! google really IS evil!!!
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Nov 2006 @ 4:40pm

Freedom of speach prevails
Gotta love it!
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Phlatus the Elder, 13 Nov 2006 @ 5:10pm

Google maps
Well, Google has one small town I know of off in some farmer's pasture, about 5 miles SW of where it really is. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but don't cartographers usually use the location of the main post office when they state a town's map coordinates?)

Simple error, or a map maker's booby trap for catching copyright violators?
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Blop, 13 Nov 2006 @ 5:11pm

Preseminal Fluid
The (76 IQ point, fox-watching, right wing, bush-supporting, fatass, reality-tv watching, uninformed, and simply idiotic) americans would care only when their local news channel runs out of violent crimes to report and decides to give something like what you described its 15 minutes of fame, then americans would go on blowing the next thing out of proportion.

On another note, don't you find it funny and ironic that these are the same people who started rioting, fighting, and burning shit because they disagreed with the pope calling their beliefs violent? I mean, was I the only one who got the irony here? Oh and what about Hamas calling for a war against America when Israel broke the truce?

Not to discriminate or over-generalize, I know there is a whole other rational side to muslim people (because it's really not just muslims we're talking about when it comes to the middle east - and america's actions over there have much less honor behind them than the 'terrorists' we're fighting), I was born in a country where they are the majority of the population so I'd know a bit from experience, but every little prick in the middle east seems to try their best to find an excuse to yell jihad against america/any other religion/culture.
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- Anonymous Coward, 13 Nov 2006 @ 9:10pm
  
  Re: Preseminal Fluid
  You're just an ass looking for somewhere to shit. And you're a dumbshit to boot.
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dorpus, 13 Nov 2006 @ 5:27pm

I eat newborn babies.
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charlie potatoes, 13 Nov 2006 @ 5:37pm

dorpus..is that Farsi for 'moron'
castrated alive? alive? you can't castrate a dead bull, you stupid bastard. if he is dead all you're doing is cutting his balls off. he has to be alive to castrate him.
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- dorpus, 13 Nov 2006 @ 9:55pm
  
  Re: charlie..is that Farsi for 'moron'
  Bulls do get castrated while alive.
  
  http://www.iwab.org/ongoingcampaigns.html
  
  Along with getting their ears cut off.
  
  http://www.sharkonline.org/bullfighting07.mpg
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Nov 2006 @ 5:41pm

either way, there is way too much time being occupied with the discussion of a bull's balls. it's just not normal...
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AJ, 13 Nov 2006 @ 6:01pm

Somone think of the children!
If somone uploaded a video to google, and it doesnt violate any laws or google's terms of service or whatever, why should they take it down? Why should they be blamed? Hell, almost everything is illegal somwhere, if we used that type of thinking (if it pisses someone off, then remove it)the internet would be a very boring place..... or we could all just move to china and be "protected" from these types of things........
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Deathlike, 13 Nov 2006 @ 6:18pm

Discrimination
'Cause yeah, the Iranians are the first to mess up what the internet was, when we REALLY know it's just a bunch of tubes.
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Free Azeri, 13 Nov 2006 @ 6:29pm

Racist Iranian Government is Cracking Down on Azer
The racist Persian dominated Iranian government is trying to suppress any free expression by ethnic and religious minorities.

The Azeri make up 25 percent of Iran and yet are economically deprived and disavantaged, oppressed and brutalized and discriminated against. South Azerbajian continues to remain under Iranian occupation.

Read more here

http://www.bakutoday.net/view.php?d=21507
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BigEd, 13 Nov 2006 @ 7:29pm

No mOrE iRan
Ok Google, open the maps and make Iran disappear forever.
The big delete function. A reverse jihad with no American loss of life. And because if it's not found on google it doesn't exist...Right?

Beside's, who in their right mind even cares what Iran has to say. Aren't they under some type of restrictions, embargo's or what ever they call it now. Shouldn't this include Internet
access also?
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Dale, 13 Nov 2006 @ 10:43pm

Lost Tourist
OK . I look at the site and then end up reading the comments and you people are still talking about nothing but bull. The tourist was lost so he made a mistake of were he was ,Duuh big suprise.Then you people start argueing about bull. You call each other names and eveyone gets off track of the Google concern. It was a video not a map and yes some mappers do put mistakes like roads that are fictitious, like a watermark or thumbprint. Personally I think many of you are as lost as the tourist was.
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Dale, 13 Nov 2006 @ 10:59pm

The Story
The sooner the so called elected officials of some of the countries in this world, learn to control their emotions and think before they shot the messenger, Google would not be a target for someones rage. When is Iran not mad at someone. Another tourist is lost and Iran is pissed at someone, yep its nice to know somethings never change. LOL
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feroz, 14 Nov 2006 @ 12:17am

Well, I'm a muslim...well, maybe not. I am, sorta. I'm agnostic really, but yes, coming to the point...
Iran was named on of the enemies of the internet just a while back - I can't place the link, but google it and you should find it. I think this is one reason why. It's disappointing to see that a whole government doesn't understand simple concepts that many 15 year olds do.
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- dorpus, 14 Nov 2006 @ 12:26am
  
  Re:
  How many Iranians will put freedom to good use anyway? Iranians have enjoyed using the internet to gamble their savings away on backgammon, sending perverted sex messages to women, buying and selling underage sex slaves, trading alcohol, inciting racial hatred against Sunnis or other minorities. It's understandable if some countries prefer to opt out of the vulgar hedonism of "free" countries. Are free countries really free, or are they enslaved by a tyranny of the lowest-common-denominator culture?
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  - feroz, 15 Nov 2006 @ 10:09pm
    
    Re: Re:
    I'm not arguing that some people will misuse the freedom. I've lived for most of my life in Saudi Arabia, and I am well aware of the PATHETIC state of internet connections over there. Here, in India, I'm able to have a broadband connection with no uld/dwnld limit for half the price of a 100 hour dialup connection over there. I'm not saying that people don't misuse the internet, but the saudis are missing out on a LOT. YouTube, P2P, podcasts, just make no sense in Saudi Arabia, because the common man doesn't have the fast connection.
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bigSteve, 14 Nov 2006 @ 4:04am

ha ha ha....
Give George Bush 20 minutes to read this article and we won't have to worry about the Iranians anymore. He'll bomb those "evil doers" and this whole discussion will be over. After all, how can those criminals insult one of the cornerstones of American Business and get away with it?
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StratDad, 14 Nov 2006 @ 7:12am

bold analogy
I'll make a bold analogy here...

A drug pusher does not generate a product, but mearly distributes it for profit. Now, it may be that the drug pusher sells legal drugs as well, but that has no relevance to his sales of illegal drugs.

We have a concept of common carrier laws that absolves carriers from liability for the content they carry. We apply this concept to any company that supplies a portal to user generated content. I may or may not like it, but that is the way it works in the US.

On what basis can you assume that every culture buys into this notion that the company making a buck off distribution is not responsible for content? That an entertainment pusher has no responsibility for distributing culturally offensive material?

We are building a real wall to keep Mexican people from crossing into the US, primarily because we don't want to deal with the effects of their presence. Since it is virtually impossible to build a wall that keeps out the Internet's 'undersirable' content (just ask the Chineese and their disappointment with walls), shouldn't the distributers should be held accountable to the local cultures that they influence? What natural law/fundament right protects the distribution company, morally speaking? It isn't sufficient to say it is just how the Internet operates. For now, at least, the Internet is subordinate to real communities.

Did Iran overreact? Yes. Was this an isolated insult? Certainly not.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Nov 2006 @ 8:16am

Insecurity
...alternatively it may encourage compensatory behaviours such as arrogance, aggression, or bullying,... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insecurity
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Voice of Reason, 14 Nov 2006 @ 8:55am

Get with the program
Ok ... all of you people need to get a life. One person says something stupid, and now there's so much verbal hostility. For what? What is it going to accomplish? Don't you people have families and jobs to attend to? Don't you have elections to worry about? Don't you have the education of your children to worry about? Don't you have crime in our local streets to worry about? Get your heads out off your rear-ends and wake up. If you paid as much attention to our internal problems as you do with the problems of other people, then there may not be so much crime, illiteracy, drug use and poverty in this "great county of ours".
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jeff, 14 Nov 2006 @ 10:16am

well
that's what happens when you give internet access to primates :x
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- Voice of Reason, 14 Nov 2006 @ 10:46am
  
  Re: well
  Jeff ... are you in any way related to Bush, Cheney, Hitler, or Stalin? Because you sound like a moron!!! Ohh yeah, forgot ... American's are morons!!!
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satan, 14 Nov 2006 @ 11:17am

That's why
That's why america is so great, we don't give a shit, Everyone else are like kids in a school yard. Calling each other names
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