Google URL take down requests rising exponentially

Google’s move to bring transparency to the process of URL removals was praised by free speech activists around the globe. Google is bound by law to remove URLs from its search engine that are associated with a valid DMCA take down request.

However, Google’s latest figures on take down requests do not make for pleasant reading. Over the past year the average number of take down requests has increased from 200,000 to 1.5 million, with the vast majority of that rise coming since May 2012. In the week ending August the 13th Google had to deal with an eye watering 1,496,220 requests.

As you can imagine Google removes the vast majority of URLs because it doesn’t have time to properly review each one. In the same week of August back in 2011 Google 156,708, meaning there has been a 10 fold increase in the number of requests.

Its only a matter of time before the Google take down system becomes a running joke. For Google it makes no sense to invest large amounts of resources into the program as it brings them no financial reward. Yet companies have already used the system to get pages removed which have no links to copyright infringement at all. Some music companies have used the service to delist bad reviews about their artists. Whilst the review site NGOHQ was filed a DMCA take down notice for posting images of the Windows 8 RTM operating system.

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