{"id":2271183,"date":"2024-06-19T03:56:03","date_gmt":"2024-06-19T07:56:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/googles-censorship-machine-targets-prageru-again\/"},"modified":"2024-06-19T04:01:41","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T08:01:41","slug":"googles-censorship-machine-targets-prageru-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/googles-censorship-machine-targets-prageru-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Google&#8217;s Censorship Targets PragerU Once More"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgoogles-censorship-machine-targets-prageru-again%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2271183&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The \u2062article discusses \u2064an incident involving\u2062 Google&#8217;s temporary suspension of the PragerU app from the Google Play store, citing a violation \u200bof\u200c their &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/did-norway-just-criminalize-misgendering-a-trans-person-even-in-private-homes\/\" title=\"Did Norway Just Criminalize \u2018Misgendering\u2019 a Trans Person, Even in Private Homes?\">hate speech<\/a>&#8221; policy due \u2062to PragerU&#8217;s documentary which covers \u2063the stories of victims fleeing violent \u2063Islamic\u200b regimes. Google later reversed the suspension, admitting the action\u200b was a mistake\u2063 and\u2064 reinstated the app, but this has \u2064led to suspicions regarding Google&#8217;s intentions given\u2063 its history with censoring PragerU\u200c on other platforms like YouTube. \u2062The \u200carticle highlights the broader implications of such <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-house-republicans-demand-answers-on-apples-censorship-policies-in-china\/\" title=\"EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Demand Answers On Apple\u2019s Censorship Policies In China\">censorship practices<\/a> by powerful corporations like \u2064Google, pointing out how selective enforcement of &#8220;hate speech&#8221; policies\u2062 can result in arbitrary and potentially harmful censorship, especially when content like Adolf\u200c Hitler\u2019s &#8220;Mein\u2064 Kampf&#8221; remains available on the same platform. \u200dIt\u2064 reflects on the risks such corporate policies pose to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/project-veritas-strips-cnn-naked\/\" title=\"Project Veritas Strips CNN Naked\">free speech<\/a> and\u2062 public discourse, and questions the \u200dconsistency and neutrality of Google&#8217;s \u200ccontent management\u2064 policies. The\u200b piece concludes by\u2062 noting the influence of such tech giants on the public square\u2063 and market, and warns\u200c of the potential\u200b fallout for companies that engage in politically motivated censorship practices.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>Everybody makes mistakes. By its own admission, that includes Google.<\/p>\n<p>Late last week, PragerU received notice that its app was suspended and removed from Google Play, which boasts the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/topics\/1729\/app-stores\/#topicOverview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">largest app store<\/a> in the world in terms of content volume. <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/prageru\/status\/1799125753168314475\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Citing<\/a> its vague and subjective \u201chate speech\u201d policy, Google\u2019s decision to invoke the policy was apparently triggered by PragerU\u2019s new documentary, \u201cDear Infidels: A Warning to America,\u201d which shares stories of victims who fled violent Islamic regimes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-441928123\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-83186cad4668e3254af5a9bf23a951cd fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-83186cad4668e3254af5a9bf23a951cd\"><\/div>\n<p>Within hours, Google retracted its suspension and restored access to the app. Upon further review, a spokesman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/business\/google-briefly-removes-prageru-app-from-play-store-for-hate-speech-5664787\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> The Epoch Times the app had been suspended in error. So sorry for the inconvenience, friends.<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s plenty of reason to be suspicious of the tech giant\u2019s mea culpa<em>. <\/em>Most glaringly, this isn\u2019t the first time PragerU has been censored by Google. In fact, the tech giant\u2019s past censorship of PragerU on YouTube <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=d6C6_NVj964\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sparked a federal lawsuit that<\/a>, while ultimately <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/idUSKCN20K33L\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unsuccessful<\/a>, could hardly have gone unnoticed at corporate headquarters in Silicon Valley.<\/p>\n<p>So it must be asked: Is Google really this hapless? And is PragerU really that unlucky?<\/p>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t take a supersleuth dreamed up by the likes of Agatha Christie or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to solve this mystery. It\u2019s more along the lines of \u201cColonel Mustard with the lead pipe in the library.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-fb3a97c0c9303860287c994220854a7b fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-fb3a97c0c9303860287c994220854a7b\"><\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s clear what happened here. Out of the more than 3 million apps available for download on Google Play, it singled out PragerU for censorship. Still available? Hitler\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.wMeinKampf_10145221&#038;hl=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Mein Kampf<\/em><\/a>, coupled with abhorrent reviews praising \u201cthe man, the myth, the legend.\u201d That PragerU is hateful and <em>Mein Kampf<\/em> is not under Google\u2019s policies shows how easily \u201chate speech\u201d policies lead to arbitrary and dangerous censorship.<\/p>\n<p>Worse is the serious damage Google\u2019s censorial policies and impulses can have on public discourse. With over <a href=\"https:\/\/companiesmarketcap.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$2 trillion in market capitalization<\/a>, Google is the fourth-largest corporation in the world. As such, it holds far more influence over markets and individuals than most nations. Google has<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/11\/29\/1059821677\/google-dont-be-evil-lawsuit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> strayed far<\/a> from its \u201cDon\u2019t be evil\u201d roots and now epitomizes a significant evil in any free society \u2014 picking and choosing which opinions are acceptable in the public square.<\/p>\n<p>Every instance of censorship implicates free speech and threatens the corporation\u2019s bottom line. Because Google is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bill-gates-sought-numerous-inappropriate-relationships-with-employees-report\/\" title=\"Bill Gates Sought Numerous \u2018Inappropriate\u2019 Relationships With Employees: Report\">publicly traded company<\/a>, shareholders \u2014 including conservatives who support PragerU \u2014 stand to lose money based on the corporation\u2019s excursions in speech suppression. Other previously unassailable brands such as Disney, Target, and Bud Light <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bowyerresearch.com\/docs\/Corporate%20Political%20Activism%20and%20Shareholder%20Value.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">serve as cautionary tales<\/a> that in today\u2019s cultural landscape, no company is exempt from brand-destroying accountability for getting crosswise with shareholders and customers on issues of public concern.<\/p>\n<p>Google has a golden opportunity to reverse course and prevent future censorship. It could do so by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/sustainability\/boards-policy-regulation\/conservative-investor-pulls-jpmorgan-resolution-cites-changes-addressing-2024-05-21\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">following the lead<\/a> of JP Morgan Chase and eliminating its highly problematic \u201chate speech\u201d policy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f186b67959bf639874bc6bfdfe667c5b fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f186b67959bf639874bc6bfdfe667c5b\"><\/div>\n<p>As our Viewpoint Diversity Score Business <a href=\"https:\/\/www.viewpointdiversityscore.org\/business-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Index<\/a> demonstrates, Corporate America is riddled with censorious policies like these. In our review of 85 major tech and financial companies, we found that 76 percent have vague or subjective terms of service, including 69 percent of scored financial institutions and 100 percent of digital service providers.<\/p>\n<p>Policies like these practically guarantee censorship for Americans of every political stripe. While conservative groups like PragerU are certainly bearing the brunt of the fallout from these policies, a shift in the political winds could just as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-taylor-greene-urges-lawmakers-to-oppose-unconstitutional-equality-act\/\" title=\"Rep. Taylor Greene urges lawmakers to oppose \u2018unconstitutional\u2019 Equality Act\">easily place<\/a> those on the left in the same predicament.<\/p>\n<p>It is axiomatic that an error only becomes a mistake when you refuse to correct it.<\/p>\n<p>Google has admitted its error. That\u2019s a good start. But it remains to be seen whether Google \u2014 and other companies that are gatekeepers to the digital public square \u2014 will be willing to make important changes to make sure it doesn\u2019t happen again.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f247101d81708f90a34d1b9903f5f7ae fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f247101d81708f90a34d1b9903f5f7ae\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Google admitted to making mistakes, including recently when it suspended and removed PragerU&#8217;s app from Google Play, the world&#8217;s largest app store. Google cited its &#8220;hate speech&#8221; policy, which is often criticized for being vague and subjective, as the reason for the app&#8217;s removal<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":775,"featured_media":2271184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Copy-of-Untitled-15.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2271183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Copy-of-Untitled-15.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2271183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/775"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2271183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2271183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2271184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2271183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2271183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2271183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}