Google Tells Lieberman: Thanks For The Input But You're Wrong

Last week, Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) contacted us to voice his concerns about seeing videos from several Islamic terrorist organizations on YouTube. We appreciated our dialogue with Senator Lieberman and his staff and wanted to explain to the YouTube community how we responded to his concerns.

First, some background: hundreds of thousands of videos are uploaded to YouTube every day. Because it is not possible to pre-screen this much content, we have developed an innovative and reliable community policing system that involves our users in helping us enforce YouTube's standards. Millions of users report potential violations of our Community Guidelines by selecting the "Flag" link while watching videos.

Senator Lieberman's staff identified numerous videos that they believed violated YouTube's Community Guidelines. In response to his concerns, we examined and ended up removing a number of videos from the site, primarily because they depicted gratuitous violence, advocated violence, or used hate speech. Most of the videos, which did not contain violent or hate speech content, were not removed because they do not violate our Community Guidelines.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[debwarot]

Joe Lieberman: Protector of the Internet! Keeping our screens free from terrorism and violence!

Nah - that just doesn't sound quite right!

[fungeezer]

So, Joe has spoken. He does not believe in freedom of speech. That's the bottom line. He believes in censorship of anything that is in any way contradictory of what he thinks we the people should know.
Sounds perfectly fascist to me.

[freshnotbitter]

Why does Google say they "understand and respect" Lieberman's views when it comes to removing non violent, non hateful videos from You Tube??

I don't understand nor do I respect such views at all.

Joe Lieberman needs to change citizenship and move to Israel where is views are in conformity with the people he would be representing there. Fred Lamont can take over his Senate seat and represent American values of free speech.

[Amminadab]

Fred Lamont?

[Independent_voter]

Censorship is not nice Jow

[Enid]

Joe has the Koran in his other pocket, just in case.

[billsmile]

I'm concerned about where Lieberman is going with all this linking of "home grown terrorism" and the internet stuff.

Seems like Joe would like to allow the government to place restrictions on internet use. This is just a guess on my part but it seems like we're headed in this direction.

Lieberman lost the CT Dem primary to an internet savvy politician backed by the internet savvy MoveOn.org.

The internet is the noecon's nightmare as it enables the truth to be leaked to the public & the public responds by getting involved in the democratic process.

Censorship is Lieberman's ally.

[kae]

I agree - this dialogue is just part of the propaganda process - the "youtube" is bad for america! I'm confident that internet savvy users will see thru Lieberman's most recent sound-byte. How many youtube clips does it take to destroy a presidency?

[BronxGOPer]

It"s said the way Joe Lieberman is attacked. Agree with him or not, Senator Lieberman is a man of deep principle and conviction. That actually is why Al Gore chose him as his running mate. By choosing a man with unquestioned moral integrity, Gore sought to distance himself from Bill Clinton"s scandals.

If not for that integrity, the Senate might today be controlled by the GOP. Lieberman promised to caucus with the Democrats, and he has kept his word. I would be honored if Joe Lieberman some day decides to switch parties and become a Republican, independent or otherwise. Not just to control the Senate but because Lieberman believes in putting principle over politics.

When I taught high school social studies, I encouraged my students to speak up and to feel free to disagree. Disagree without being disagreeable was the motto. Remember, just because someone disagrees with you, it doesn"t necessarily make either of you evil. Calling a person names is the lazy alternative to debating the merits.

Oh one more thing. Any of you that disagree with me about this, I encourage you to start a campaign to drive anti-abortion, pro-gun Travis Childers out of the Democratic Party. I am sure he will find a new political home somewhere.

[livesimply]

Don't forget that it is your OPINION that Lieberman is a man of deep principle and conviction. No doubt one of the reasons you see him that way is because you are a republican. BTW, you republicans can have him. Diversity of opinion is one thing, but trashing your own alleged party members is another.

[Stirner]

"Senator Lieberman is a man of deep principle and conviction." -- Ah, what principles and what conviction? So was Adolf Hitler.

[FZliveson]

I wonder if the "rift" between Google and the "Government" is staged so that everything that is searched on Google is recorded and transmitted to the "Government." I've seen the huge "campus" that Google has in Mountain View and they are making money faster than the U.S. Mint. The only other people that do that are the people at the Federal Reserve Bank. I wonder if they are somehow connected. Wolves have been known to deliver "ivy" to the little lambs, after all.

[Krikkit]

You should change the title. Google is not YouTube and YouTube is not Google.

[CaptainHowdy]

You should keep up on current events. Google bought YouTube in 2006.

[disgusted48]

To think that this man was almost just a breath away from the presidency. That's frightening.

[vinny]

no kidding!

[thromulese]

If it were left up to LIE-berman the constitution and bill of rights would be classified top secret.

If you really want to see what Lieberman thinks of our rights just google "Lynne Cheney and Lieberman". You will find that this fascist duo wanted to establish a blacklist. A real golden oldie from the McCarthy era.

Check it out:

http://www.commondreams.org/views01/1213-05.htm

Now pretend this creature is a democrat.

[FCBarca]

It's really remarkable how irrelevant Liebermann has become

[CrazyDogLady]

Thank you google for having the cojones to "just say NO"...Nancy Reagan would be proud!

(well, maybe not)

[mergina]

Why does anyone even report what this silly little embarrassment says?

[JennMostrom]

Hey, I'm grateful every time it's reported that someone actually said "thanks, but no" to pressure from an elected official. More people and entities should do that.

[littlepuffycloud]

So we can see what a silly little embarrassment he really is...

[MKJeeves]

Gore must really kicking himself these days for his past judgment in choosing this numbskull . . .

[gbht12]

If there are any Jewish or CT voters blogging on here, what do you think of Liebermann NOW? I am really interested in what the CT voters think how he has betrayed their state.

[DShawn233]

Lieberman is more comforable standing behind McCain giving him the answers to the test questions.

[NoNukes]

Hi Huffington Post montior(s),

I hope you're at least getting a kick out of the irony of your job here -- censoring a "free" discussion about censorship.

You gotta admit, that's pretty funny.

[Ramirez]

You are so begging to get banned.

[magggs]

The thing that troubles me is this display by elected US officials trying to influence the way news and world events are reported and made public. This is the third story in the last few weeks--the leak of the Bush adminstration's paid military 'commentators', the Bush memo insisting MSNBC alter it's presentation of Bush's words in the Engel interview, and now this, dictating policy to the internet. It's obvious that they feel their hold on the reins of power depends on propaganda-based information and buzzword mind-control, and real freedom of speech/information scares the pants off them.

[CaptainHowdy]

It's called Fascism...

Fascism a. A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism. b. A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system of government. 2. Oppressive, dictatorial control.

[vinny]

Yeah, let's not show the reality of war. Let's sanitize it and make it fit for public consumption.

Way to cave-in to the Senator, Google, while making it seem like you stood by your principles.

Bravo!

[incontempt]

Wrong on too many levels!!

[Pema]

Why is his campaign searching you tube? to see if there are any group supporting Obama for their dirt throwing. lieberman has sunk to new lows.

[JAMES GORMAN]

LIEBERMAN OUGHT TO CONCERN HIMSELF WITH CONDITIONS IN THE ISRAELI "DETENTION
CENTERS THAT VIOLATE INTERNATIONAL LAW--OR WITH THE LOGIC THAT IS CURRENT--THEY
MAY BOMB CIVILIANS AT WILL BECAUSE AFTER ALL THE CIVILIANS VOTED FOR HAMAS--I AM TIRED OF THE TAIL WAGGING THE DOG--IT IS TIME FOR US TO TELL LIEBERMAN AND HIS
LOBBY--NO MORE BUCKS AND WEAPONS TILL YOU STOP THE SETTLEMENTS THAT VIRTUALLY
ROB PALESTINIANS OF ANY STATE TO CLAIM--IF ONE IS EVER EVEN DISCUSSED. IT IS 60 YEARS
OF SHAME THAT THREATENS TO EMBROIL US ALL IN POINTLESS DESTRUCTION. J. MC CORMICK GORMAN

[ProfessorDuh]

Only Mossad and Republican propaganda is to be permitted, sorry.

[ErnestineBass]

That's pretty much where we're headed, Professor.

[Raymondf]

I think Leiberman or Huckabee would make a good running mate for John boy

[who38]

Isn't that what Lieberman is planning on?

[kyeblue]

LOL