Will Google pull out of Italy over new censorship row?

happygeek 0 586 Views

If it is so concerned about the online rights of users, as the Google statement about pulling out of China would suggest, maybe it should consider pulling out of Italy next.

Unless of course the China crisis is more to do with commercial failure to dominate an emerging and important online market and less to do with censorship after all. As I may have mentioned before, it is nice to see Google taking a stand but a real shame that it has taken so long for the company to locate its backbone.

Now it has a chance to act a little quicker in Italy, where the Government plans to introduce new rules that will mean anyone wanting to upload video content to the Internet will have to obtain official authorisation from the Communications Ministry in advance. Apparently, and bewilderingly if you ask me, this move is being made to comply with an EU directive concerning product placement in TV broadcasts. Sounds more like a handy way for the Italian Government to restrict what those who disagree with them say online to me, after all it has made no bones about wanting to shut the online opposition up.

One opposition party spokesperson, Paolo Gentiloni of the Democratic Party, would seem to agree. Speaking at a press conference on the issue Gentiloni insisted that the ruling to require prior ministerial authorisation for web videos would be "an incredible limitation on the way the Internet currently functions". Another Democratic Party member, Vincenzo Vita, went even further by suggesting that the move would mean that Italy had joined "the club of the censors, together with China, Iran and North Korea".

Even the Communications Authority which would have to help police the new rules seems to think it is a nonsense notion, with one of its commissioners, Nicola D'Angelo, giving a radio interview in which she said it "ran contrary to the spirit of the EU directive" by including web video instead of just TV broadcasts.

Surely Google will have something to say, in the strongest possible terms, if Italy becomes the only western country to effectively censor YouTube in this way? It could be an interesting start to the new year, that's for sure.

Dani AI

Generated

raises the key question: will Google treat a threatened Italian clampdown the same way it publicly debated China? The row in mid-January 2010 revolved around a draft government decree that, critics argued, would sweep ordinary web video into the same licensing-and‑monitoring regime used for TV — a move the government said was tied to EU product‑placement rules. Reporting at the time captured the outcry from MPs, press groups and regulators who warned the measure would effectively impose prior authorisation and heavy takedown duties on online publishers. Computerworld report • EDRi coverage.

Industry and civil‑liberties groups framed the draft as overreach. ISPs called it impractical (``holding the company that maintains the highways responsible for what the drivers do''), press‑freedom organisations launched campaigns, and some commentators linked the proposal to political conflicts around Mediaset and broadcast market concentration. Google’s Europe team publicly warned the rules could push responsibility onto platforms in ways that don’t fit how video‑sharing services work. FierceNetwork summary • Techdirt commentary.

Practical context for readers: states sometimes draft emergency or omnibus decrees that are then amended, challenged or revised (including by EU scrutiny under the e‑commerce rules), so the draft’s language mattered more than headlines. The EU and rights groups flagged possible infringement issues, which is a route to block overbroad national measures. EDRi / EurActiv reporting referenced therein.

For web publishers and platform operators in Italy: map whether your service meets the legal definition of an audiovisual media service'', document takedown and notice procedures now, get local counsel if the ministry starts requiring registrations, and watch AGCOM/EU updates. As noted, big markets are strategically important to Google — the company has tended to respond with public policy pressure and technical/legal work rather than immediate blanket exits (see its 2010 China actions as a precedent). [Google blog:A new approach to China: an update''](https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/new-approach-to-china-update.html).

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AirForceOne 9 Posting Pro in Training

I think Google might be finding a decent quit chance from China for its not so good job in Chinese Search Arena. Also, I don't think this would be a good tactic just like Microsoft has said. :)

Have a nice day,

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InsightsDigital 57 Posting Virtuoso

Let's think back - Italy does have Fascist roots. Despite that, I am not surprised Italy is doing this. What will be surprising is if other countries will follow suit.

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