Google Artificial And Unnatural Links Strategy

Google has been sending warning notifications to webmasters/owners of websites and blogs that are receiving back links from other websites in a manner that is not in compliance with Google’s webmaster Guidelines.

In the past many website owners have reported that Google has sent them warning notifications about artificial or unnatural links pointing towards their websites/blogs. This is not an ordinary and casual warning and its satisfactory and appropriate resolution is of utmost importance for website owners. Otherwise they may cease to enjoy the benefits of Google’s services especially search engine placements and other search placements.

Many of you may have wondered why your websites are performing poorly despite providing original, timely and genuine contents. This is because spam blogs are picking up your contents and are linking back to your websites and Google treats it as a negative act on your part as it is your website that is gaining PageRank and other ranks.

This exercise may also be a negative SEO technique adopted by your competitor to make your website and business suffer penalties through Google. There is no question of treating such activities lightly as it may affect your business interest in the long run.

Acting immediately against the culprits is the best option. The more you linger the worst would be the situation. Ultimately, a point would come where you have to convince Google to a great length to get back your websites in Google search results.

Either act on your own or hire the services of some good techno legal professionals in this regard if you have received one such notice from Google. If you need techno legal assistance in this regard, you may consult the ICT law firm Perry4Law in this regard. They have first hand and real life and almost real time experience in dealing with these types of cases.

Is Google Censoring Recent Video Conferencing Controversy Results?

Use of video conferencing in India is not new but its blocking is certainly new. The recent fiasco of Rajasthan government and Rajasthan police that did not allow the video conferencing of Salman Rushdie shows that India is not comfortable with technology uses for serious issues.

The recent episode has proved that video conferencing in India is a troubled technology and shows Indian struggle with information technology. We have no dedicated video conferencing laws and regulations in India. Similarly we have no dedicated video conferencing blocking laws in India as well. In the absence of a clear cut law, constitutional issues like speech and expression are at stake.

However, my interest in blocking of video conferencing in India is also associated with another crucial issue. It seems Google has been manipulating search and blog results pertaining to posts criticizing recent blocking of video conferencing in India. India wanted companies like Google and Facebook to censor users’ contents and this is exactly what seems to be happening in India.

Recently two posts titled video conferencing laws and regulations in India and video conferencing blocking laws in India, posted at PTLB Blog, appeared in both search results and blog search results. Now they do not appear anymore in both search results. Surprisingly, they are still available in both search results outside Indian cyberspace.

Google, Facebook, etc are facing a criminal trail for not removing objectionable contents. What is more surprising is the argument taken by Google India in Delhi High Court. Google India claimed that it is a subsidiary of Google Incorporation and has no control over contents available at latter’s platforms.

If this is the situation, who has removed the search results of the abovementioned two articles on video conferencing is an interesting question. Naturally, it can be only Google Incorporation that can remove such results as per Google India’s claim. However, since search results of the two posts are available outside India, it seems to be a job of Google India. May be Google India had requested Google Incorporation to remove the same or it did the same on its own.

It is high time to ascertain the true nature, role, powers and functions of Google India as posts are frequently disappearing from India based search results. I hope Delhi High Court would take note of this fact and the averments made in this article while deciding the case of Google India and Google Incorporation.

Update: It seems Google Incorporation (California, US) has approved the posts. These posts have resurfaced. Thanks to Google US for doing the needful. So it seems Google US is not censoring recent video conferencing controversy results in India.

India Is Pressurising Blackberry Indirectly And Unconstitutionally

India is leaving no stone unturned to force Blackberry maker Research in Motion (RIM) to succumb to its e-surveillance demands. By threatening to ban Blackberry services in India, the government has already obtained access to Blackberry’s messenger services. Now India is forcing the telecom service providers of India to drop Blackberry’s services if it does not provide free and unencrypted access to its services in India.

Similar threats have been issued by Indian government to other services providers providing e-mail and VOIP services. Gmail and Skype have been asked to provide the encryption keys to Indian government and its security agencies. However, neither Google nor Skype have admitted of receiving any such communication.

Once again, India has reiterated that companies that offer encrypted communication services will have to allow monitoring of such services by security agencies if they want to operate in the country. Home Secretary Gopal K. Pillai categorically declared that only those who allow access would be allowed to operate in India and none else.

Pillai claimed that under the law the service providers have to give access to Indian security and intelligence agencies. However, India has no constitutionally sound lawful interception law in existence. This practically means that all service providers have to comply with executive orders even if they are not constitutional.

According to Praveen Dalal, a Supreme Court lawyer and leading techno legal expert of India, we have “No Constitutionally Sound” Lawful Interception Law in India and we need one immediately. The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 has served it purpose and it must be “Repealed” as soon as possible if India cares about Fundamental Rights of Indian Citizens, suggests Dalal.

Surprisingly, India has been doing a warrant less e-surveillance for more than 60 years and none bothered to raise a voice. None can doubt that this is a grave violation of civil liberties of Indians. Technology has added another dimension to this endemic e-surveillance exercise of Indian government.

The matter is pending before the Supreme court of India and even the Supreme Court is not happy with the increasingly use of technology to invade privacy rights of Indians. Let us hope the Supreme Court would strike down the telegraph act as unconstitutional.