
Brazil fines Google for not censoring dirty jokes - jacquesm
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/brazil-fines-google-for-not-censoring-dirty-jokes-20100324-qufh.html
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diego_moita
Some context: Rondonia is known here in Brazil as the last exit in the road to
the end of the world; a hole forgotten in the darkest corner of the Amazon
jungle. The only people that live there are cocaine traffickers (from Bolivia)
and the last groups of native south americans that still live in tribes.

I wouldn't be surprised if this judge is just trying to collect some
extortion.

If I were Google I wouldn't bother. As we say in Brazil: "from the mouth of a
politician, the head of a judge and a baby's bottom you can only expect one
thing".

~~~
borga
It's the North Dakota of Brazil, without Fargo, the movie.

~~~
rbanffy
I don't believe North Dakota is even in the same league when it comes to
cluelessness. Rondonia's courts win hands down, apparently.

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shib71
Looks like Google policy changes regarding China are the first scrambling
steps up a slippery slope they're already on. If other countries start
expecting Google to implement censoring based on their actions in China it may
become a serious handicap for them.

~~~
rbanffy
If Google decides to fight this decision (as it should), it will be struck
down. While there are exceptions to freedom of speech (mostly about promoting
crimes, discrimination and anonymity) the law is not nearly that bad as to
make bad taste illegal.

And, if it did, there would be a whole lot of criminals far worse than the
ones responsible for this ;-)

As a curious note, no Brazilian news agency seems to have picked this one up
at this time.

~~~
nandemo
Lots of hits here:

[http://news.google.com/news/story?cf=all&hl=pt&cf=al...](http://news.google.com/news/story?cf=all&hl=pt&cf=all&ncl=d1T7JKj9osZaSaM5Z2dHizOZIkwRM)

I don't know if it's a case of mere bad taste, as they don't mention the
details. It could be slander (calúnia ou difamação).

~~~
rbanffy
I stand corrected. Free speech is a joke here.

Any suggestion of sane country to move to?

~~~
nandemo
I live in Japan now. Not exactly sane but at least it's civilized. ;-)

But look at the bright side. You can live very well in Brazil if you're a good
developer.

(Me mande email se quiser)

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jrockway
Are these countries _trying_ to kill the Internet?

~~~
borga
No, I think not. The populist governments are just trying to control it.

~~~
TallGuyShort
But I think that's his point - the power of the internet has come from it's
openness and freedom. Try to control it and trying to kill it are very much
the same thing, even if a government isn't conscious of that.

~~~
borga
Yes, you kill the internet by killing the freedom spirit of it. But these
governments want to keep it alive and free for them and for their friends.

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Scott_MacGregor
Too bad we do not have a government that is willing to protect our US based
businesses from this kind of nuisance lawsuit money grabbing.

