April 21, 2010 By News Report
Earlier this week, Google launched a new tool that maps government requests for user data and requests for the search engine to remove content. In the company's typical fashion, the tool was made available with little fanfare.
Called simply Government requests, the map spans the globe and offers insight into which governments are requesting user data and which are asking Google to remove content, which is broken down by the company's various properties such as Blogger, AdWords and YouTube.
Presently the map incorporates data from July 1, 2009 through Dec. 31, 2009. Most developed nations are featured, with the notable exception of China. Google cites its ongoing quarrel with Chinese government officials over censorship and state secrets as the reason data from that country is not currently mapped.
Brazil, Germany and India top the list for the most content removal requests. According to Google, this is due to the popularity of its social network orkut and in Germany, due in part to laws forbidding Nazi propaganda.
Brazil, the U.S. and the U.K. were tops for the number of user data requests. The majority of these requests come from law enforcement agencies.
The number of both removal requests and data requests can be found by clicking on the country's icon. The number of removal requests is shown based on each Google property, while only the total number of data requests is provided, with no additional information available.
This Digital Communities white paper highlights discussions with IT officials in four counties that have adopted shared services models. Our aim was to learn about the obstacles these governments have faced when it comes to shared services and what it takes to overcome those roadblocks. We also spoke with several members of the IT industry who have thought long and hard about these issues. The paper offers some best practices for shared government-to-government services, but also points out challenges that government and industry still must overcome before this model gains widespread adoption.
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