[Two messages follow. --Declan] --- Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 15:43:01 -0500 From: Elizabeth Wright <editor@issues-views.com> Organization: Issues & Views To: declanat_private Subject: Google ad policies References: <20030115094002.A8327at_private> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Declan, Did you follow this little Google venture? It seems that Google refused to accept an ad from Unknown News for items expressing antiwar sentiment. But, quite unexpectedly, changed its mind. --------- http://www.unknownnews.net/google.html#saturday Google refuses our ad Opposing war makes Unknown News a hate site And then ... Google apologizes, reinstates ad Click or scroll down for the happy ending! [Email from Google, 3/19/2003] ------------ Google's initial rejection: Thank you for advertising with Google AdWords. Our goal is to help you create high-impact advertising that reaches your target audience and maximizes your investment. After reviewing your account, I have found that one or more of your ads or keywords does not meet our guidelines. These results are outlined in the report below. In order to ensure your ad's success and relevance, our AdWords Specialists review each ad and keyword for compliance with our Editorial Guidelines. We disable keywords and temporarily suspend ads that don't meet our guidelines. If a keyword has been disabled, your ad(s) will no longer be displayed for searches on this keyword. If an ad has been suspended, please edit it based on our suggestions below. Save your changes to automatically resubmit it for review. To log in to your account, please go to: https://adwords.google.com/ select/ ---------------------------------------------- AD TEXT: Who would Jesus bomb? anti-war bumper stickers from Unknown News www.unknownnews.net/ Action taken: Suspended - Pending Revision Issue(s): Unacceptable Content ~~~~~~~~~~ SUGGESTIONS: -> Content: At this time, Google policy does not permit the advertisement of websites that contain "language that advocates against an individual, group, or organization". As noted in our advertising terms and conditions, we reserve the right to exercise editorial discretion when it comes to the advertising we accept on our site. --------------------- Response to Google by Unknown News: ?? Based on your note, I have no idea what you're talking about or what you're objecting to. Are you seriously suggesting that our bumper stickers or website "advocates against an individual, group, or organization"? I've never heard anything (except from Google itself) to suggest "Google believes strongly in freedom of expression." I'd love to believe it, and maybe you'll show me that it's true. I have heard accounts involving strange, petty, or simply bizarre Google policies and pronouncements kinda like this one that would suggest the opposite. I hope you'll explain the problem with something other than a clearly non-applicable form letter. If so, I'll try my darndest to understand. If not, please ring up the $7.85 in charges incurred for this ad and we shan't bother you again. Cordially, H&HH ------------------------------------------------------------------------ And Unknown News also wrote directly to the person who signed the Google rejection notice: Kenji, May I quietly ask: Have you visited our website? If so, could you point to the parts that promote hate, violence, racial intolerance, or advocate against any individual, group, or organization? There's none of that here. We are "anti" war. We "advocate against" killing thousands of Iraqis in the next few days. Is that what's not allowed to be said? Or is it OK to oppose a war, but not with "emotional arguments"? If I understand your position: Google will take our money and run our ad, but only after we "edit" our site, only after we present arguments we oppose arguments that do "promote hate, violence, racial intolerance, or advocate against any individual, group, or organization" unlucky enough to be in Baghdad. Cordially, I cannot in good conscience do business with a company that would ask us to do that. H&HH ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Email from Kenji at Google, 3/21/2003] Thank you for your email. I have discussed the content of your site along with other team members and see that you are offering interesting articles and services that are discussed with a shade of humor. If you would like for your ad to be reviewed once more for approval, I would like to suggest that you remove references to 'Who would Jesus Bomb?' from your site and your ad text as it may be potentially offensive to some religious communities. We appreciate your effort to advertise on Google. Please know that we will work with you to gain the exposure your site deserves. Thank you for your patience throughout this process. Please feel free to email us at adwords-supportat_private if you have additional questions or concerns. ---------------- Excerpt from Unknown News second reply: . . . . Now it's the bumper sticker you object to, and lemme get this straight if we'll just remove all reference to the bumper sticker from our ad and from our website, you'll let us buy an ad for the bumper sticker? How do we sell stickers if you won't let us mention them??? . . . . But if you seriously imagine we'll rework any or all of our message to please Google, you're mistaken. We're not changing squat. We're going to do what we've been doing for five years: We're going to say what we want to say, for an audience of open-minded adults who really do believe in freedom of expression. --------------------- Google's capitulation: [Email from Kenji at Google, 3/22/2003] Thank you for your email and your strong, clear arguments. As mentioned in our previous email, we do strongly believe in the freedom of expression. I have discussed your site and your ad with other team members after reading through much of your site and it has been determined that the slogan, 'Who Would Jesus Bomb?,' is used in a way and supported in a way that would not be offensive to others. In addition, you are running on relevant keywords. We sincerely apologize for the miscommunication during our recent dialogue. I hope that you can accept our apologies. Please know that I have approved your advertisement to run on Google. Please contact me if you have any further problems or concerns with your advertisement. Thank you for your patience throughout this process. Sincerely, Kenji The Google AdWords Team ------------ Apologies cheerfully accepted, and all is forgiven with no grudge. Thanks for reinstating our ad. ----------- --- Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 22:46:35 -0500 From: Chuck0 <chuckat_private> To: Declan McCullagh <declanat_private> Subject: Google News rejects Infoshop News; Indymedia and blogs next? -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [A-librarians] Google News rejects Infoshop News; Indymedia and blogs next? Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 20:35:25 -0500 From: Chuck0 <chuckat_private> Reply-To: Anarchist and Radical Librarians <a-librariansat_private> To: infoshop-newsat_private, a-librariansat_private CC: alaoifat_private, lbo-talkat_private Google News rejects Infoshop News; Indymedia and blogs next? from Chuck0 March 21, 2003 Several days ago I issued a call on Infoshop News for people to email Google News (http://news.google.com/), asking that this popular search service index Infoshop News like it was doing several months ago. One of Infoshop News' many readers and supporters sent Google News an email and got back a response which is listed below. It has become apparent that Google News is inventing excuses to not index popular alternative news websites, including Infoshop News. Google News may claim that they offer access to over 4500 sources of news, but their policy in regards to Infoshop News indicates that popular alternative news websites need not be indexed. Shortly after Google announced their fancy news service that was trumpeted as being put together by fancy computer programs, I sent them an email asking that Infoshop New be included in their indexing. After they responded that they couldn't because of "technical reasons," I replied with an email explaining Infoshop News and even provided them with the RSS/RDF file for the website (this is an automated syndicated newsfeed updated three times daily.) Google News started indexing Infoshop News and I assumed that this was still happening until I conducted several test searches on Google News a few weeks ago. It's not clear that the response from Google printed below represents official Google policy. If it does, it would mean that Indymedia, as well as many other news websites and blogs on the web would not be indexed. Not only would this again reinforce the media monopoly, but Google users would lose access to the exciting phenomenon of independent news publishing on the Internet. If you take this rejection letter seriously, there are several problems with it. First of all, the articles on Infoshop News are not all produced by one person. Secondly, we don't have any paid staff, but we feature original content and content from mainstream and alternative news sources. And as many Infoshop News regulars know, I serve very much as a staff editor for Infoshop News. If you suggest Infoshop News and independent news websites like Indymedia, please send an email of support to: news-feedbackat_private If you are interested in signing a letter of support, if Google News continues their stubborness, please send me an email. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 23:35:35 -0800 (PST) From: danielat_private To: chuckat_private, chuck0at_private Subject: Responce from Google A user has entered feedback on the site! Their feedback is: pasted below is the responce i received from google on my request for infoshop news to be included into google news. +++++++ Subject: Re: InfoShop News [#1882273]? View Full Header View Printable Version View Message details From: news-feedbackat_private? Date: Thu, March 20, 2003 6:50 pm? To: danielat_private? Priority: Normal? Hello Daniel, Thank you for your suggestion. We have reviewed http://www.infoshop.org and we cannot include it at this time. We are not accepting sites where all articles are produced by one individual. We are looking for sources with current news written by a staff of reporters and edited by a staff editor. We will log your suggestion for future consideration should our constraints change. Thank you for trying Google News and taking the time to write us. Regards, The Google Team Original Message Follows: ------------------------ From: Subject: InfoShop News Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 01:32:05 -0800 (PST) I am writing to encourage your editoral team to include in the new Google news feature, (which I use quite frequently throughout the day) the news reports and services of infoshop.org This is an informative, reliable, current, and important voice to be added and made available to your users. I think that Google users are a very diverse, educated and informed group of people, and the addition of INFOSHOP NEWS would be seen as a welcome and expansive improvement. thank you for your attention on this. Daniel -- Daniel Abell - WireForest danielat_private ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH evening reception in New York City at 7 pm, April 1, 2003 at CFP: http://www.politechbot.com/events/cfp2003/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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