Google’s Transparency Report

In today’s world, transparency is a difficult thing to find. Companies as well as the federal government are making news headlines almost daily now, with their lack of information and surplus of leaked secrets. Google has distinguished itself by publishing their Google Transparency Report, beginning in 2011.

This report includes removal requests from copyright owners and the government. These requests stem from copy right holders who find a link on Google that violates their copyright. Google then processes the request and in 97% of the instances, the website is removed. Google is now receiving more removal requests each week than it did in the entire 2009 year. This report not only distinguishes them from other companies but helped them beat two congressional bills this past January. The Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect Intellectual Property Act  would have put the burden on Google for the pirated links. Despite receiving around 250,000 requests a week, Google manages about an 11 hour turn around on requests. They believe this shows that the current system works correctly and hopefully prevents law makers from transferring the responsibility from copyright holders to search engines.