Google Relists Operation Clambake 491
DarkZero writes: "After almost every tech site and individual geek banded together to either carry the story about Google's delisting of Operation Clambake or flat-out protest it, Google has apparently relisted Xenu.net. Searches for 'xenu' and 'scientology' list Operation Clambake as the first and fourth results, respectively. The search for "scientology" also lists a story from C|Net about Google delisting Operation Clambake, as well as a protest ad from a Kuro5hin reader (oc3)." Update: 03/22 12:52 GMT by M : We jumped the gun. Google only relisted Xenu.net's homepage (where the copyright claims by Scientology were clearly bogus), not the rest of the pages listed in Scientology's DMCA complaint. Some Google sysadmin is getting aggravated because every 20 minutes, another memo from management is coming down telling him to alter the live database.
Good for them! (Score:2, Interesting)
Now I hope everyone who made such a fuss here (and elsewhere) will be willing to help in whatever way they can if the Scientologists decide to go after Google with their lawyers and drag them to court. I would like Google to continue to be around for a long time, and not go bankrupt fighting these crazies.
Frightening (Score:3, Interesting)
This without having any serious followers in governmental leadership positions.
Clever. (Score:2, Interesting)
Not only that ... (Score:5, Interesting)
"Operation Foot-Bullet" scores another direct hit (Score:1, Interesting)
This news, and the immediate backlash regarding the submission [slashdot.org] of the "Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act" make me wonder if it's possible companies and large organizations will be losing their grip on government? The important factor in this, which I haven't yet seen mentioned is The passing of the "landmark Campaign Reform Bill", which elimiantes "soft money" contributions that companies like the MPAA, RIAA, etc are relying on. [latimes.com]
This bill seems like a radical change in how our government works. Will the result be that bad laws like the DMCA go away now that politicians won't be AS paid for by corporations and other large organizations?
Scientology and Southpark (Score:5, Interesting)
Google should just sensor the keyword instead? (Score:5, Interesting)
And the slashdot comments? (Score:5, Interesting)
Oh this ad idea is fun! (Score:5, Interesting)
Separation of editors and advertisers. Sometimes it's almost as strong as separation of church and state (although like church/state it's not absolute). In fact, a lot of sites pride themselves on the fact that editors can air stories even if it pisses off advertisers.
Well why the hell not have it work in the other direction? Why not use advertising to bypass editorial waffling or censorship?
Look at it this way. Let's say we all chipped in $5 each to create a fund to ensure that Xenu.Net showed up for every even-remotely related Scientology link (ie, Scientology, Travola, Dianetics, Bukkake, etc). Now, does Scientology have the legal right to tell Google they can't run those ads (thus depriving Google of its income). Couldn't Google argue that pulling ads that have been paid for would damage its business?
What about extending the principle to other sites like Yahoo, or heck the NY Times. The way I see it, all Scientology could do is threaten to boycott Google/Yahoo/NY Times...they routinely ignore boycotts from groups all the time. Or they could pay to run ads countering the Xenu ads.
Well of course I don't know for sure if things would be this simple but...you know, why can't we geeks take a page from the Corporate Dirty Playbook...fight with advertising.
I'm all for giving money to the EFF but I think I would almost rather spend my money creating an ad campaign...along the lines of TheTruth ads you see against the tobacco industry. I mean, even smokers curse Big Tobacco out the side of their mouth as they buy another pack. The Tobacco Industry has a PR nightmare...so why can't Disney or Scientology or the MPAA or RIAA?
I've got $20 right here I'll pitch in.
- JoeShmoe
.
Let's get Xenu to #1 on Google listings ... (Score:3, Interesting)
If everyone who has a webpage creates a link to xenu.net then won't that boost Xenu.com's ranking on Google? Then if someone searches for Scientology Xenu would appear first
And when was theregister ? (Score:2, Interesting)
It will be interesting to see... (Score:1, Interesting)
anonymous coward has anonymous sig
A little conflciting (Score:2, Interesting)
And we all know what the next step is, the lawyers step in toss around the first amendment like a worn out vollyball.
Re:Go Google! (Score:3, Interesting)
Here is an image that is absolutely irreplaceable in criticizing 'Scientology' and I'll include the commentary here...
David Miscavige - otherwise available in his guise as a poodle at http://laugh.at/scientology - leading his acolytes up the 'Escalator to Total Freedom'.
http://members.tripod.com/zinjifar0/esc01.jpg
Somehow, I suspect Slashdot will hear about this link
Zinj
scientology works (Score:0, Interesting)
Let the slashdot crowd know. We'll gladly run wild with it like decss on a bad hair day.
Re:Damn it! (Score:2, Interesting)
I got a few $ for them (Score:1, Interesting)
I love Google as well. It's like having the worlds largest library in my apartment for the price of a cable modem connection. I don't want them to die - I don't want them to be at the mercy of any whackjob who files a phony complaint either. Honestly, I'd be surprised if the COS complaint didn't get thrown out of court, especially as most of the material at dispute (such as the Fishman Affidavit) has been cleared for public release in previous cases.
I used to dumpster dive outside the local COS when I was younger. It's quite amazing how intertwined they are with the US government on so many levels. They are cheerful supporters of the drug war, and many people in this area have been sentenced to COS indoctrination as punishment for drug offenses without even knowing what sort of "counseling" they are receiving! Still, this is still government of the people, by the people, and for the people, and I do think that the COS isn't invincible. I think Google would win this one, and I'm willing to help them do it.
Blarney (I don't have a Slashdot account yet)
O tEE 3 For Uur R3vi3W (Score:0, Interesting)
The fact about scientology (Score:4, Interesting)
I encourage everyone to read the Clambake Site and the linked documents, and i would reccomend the books linked from it - Particularly the following
A piece of blus sky - subject of a massive lawsuit - the inside story of the church written by a former scienologist himself.
L Ron Hubbard - Messiah or madman - learn the truth about the nutcase named ron
Theres many more and i encourage you to read them.
This is a church that robs its clients, asttempted to take over the british mental health system, pretty much took over the town of Clearwater, performs feudal punishments for transgressions,may have been involved in a number of murders, were caught systematically spying on the US govt including breaking into the IRS and copying court documents and much more. (read about the Sea Org, their very own navy)
they dont play games and they harrass people who go against them in ways you cannot even imagine and they have billions of dollars in money and assetts.
Read about them and learn the truth but be very carefull, these guys are very serious customers.
How to Fight Scientology (Score:5, Interesting)
Slashdot participants are in a unique position here to turn the tables on the cult by adding a link to http://www.xenu.net [xenu.net] to all the websites we run. If enough of us link to www.xenu.net, we can make it the #1 resource for information about Scientology! (remember that Google's cache uses the number of referring websites to determine the ranking of listings in search results).
Alex Berkman
Scientology and The Daily Show (Score:5, Interesting)
They're brave enough to mock anyone in power and put total strangers on the spot, but the CoS is just too risky.
Re:Google should just sensor the keyword instead? (Score:5, Interesting)
Think about it: Google is the premier search engine of the net these days. They're the search engine behind a number of big sites, like Yahoo and Earthlink. That's quite a bit of power that they wield.
So when the CoS wants to play hardball with the DMCA as a club, the guys at Google could say "sure, we'll be happy to comply with your request to remove links and cache entries that point to that material. Of course, we'll also have to remove all of our links and cache entries for your sites and any pages that happen to refer to your organization in a positive light, just to be sure. Can't be too careful, you know". Of course, they'll leave the links and cache entries pointing to pages and sites that are anti-CoS up. And also put up the message that you mention as an explanation that the search isn't the completely objective thing that people are looking for, and why.
And suddenly, the CoS becomes a non-presence on the net.
And Google could give the same treatment to anyone who threatens them.
Unfair, you say? Well, Google is a privately owned company and the resources that are used to cache this stuff are theirs to manage as they see fit, right?
Lesson: don't screw with a powerful entity that wishes to remain objective. They might decide to not be objective about you anymore, and you might not like that at all.
Nope (Score:3, Interesting)
Anyone who can fight against the IRS and win is something that *only* a large gov't wants to tackle with.
Poor people who get suckered (Score:2, Interesting)
The gov and the IRS need to grow some balls and just rip the shit out of these assholes. Their shit is already legendary
BTW, CoS, come get me and my mere pittance of equity, I'll be bankrupt by the time you file your first brief. What a bunch of psychopathic fucktards with a massive inferiority complex! Makes me wonder if they have to eat their own genitalia in some kinda initiation rite.
Just die! (Yeah, I'm pretty pissed off right now.)
Re:Nope (Score:4, Interesting)
Some religion hey?
Re:Obvious Parallels... (Score:1, Interesting)
behold the inevitable post linking microsoft to a discussion that has nothing what so ever to do with it thus proving that some people are way to obsessed for their own good
Proof that some of you do nothing but think all day about microsoft and how evil they are, everything is applied to microsoft and every comment has to be about microsoft in some way.
Scientology is a very serious subject, people have been killed by this religion and you think it s a funny subject and that MS are like them ?
For fucks sake get some perspective you twit, can you show me one dead body in MS's closet, do they fulfill one role of a cult ?
Lets face it you only wrote the post you did in a lame attempt to score some karma from a moderator as obessed as you are. Its obsession man and its unhealthy, get some help.
My advice is take 30 asprin and dont call me in the morning.
A good first step but... (Score:4, Interesting)
DMOZ has a problem too (Score:2, Interesting)
From what it says, the Pro-Scientology section of DMOZ has a Scientologist for an editor while they refuse to name an editor for the section related to Scientology opponents.
The effect of this, according to the link above, means that Pro-Scientology sites get added quickly and Con-Scientology sites don't, or not at all.
I am very disappointed.
What's the Diff Between a Cult and a Religion? (Score:2, Interesting)
About 100 years. They all start out as cults.
PageRank tweaks are a minor problem (Score:2, Interesting)
It's boiler-plate: they say they'll change it whenever they like, but there's no mention of whether the previous data they've collected would fall under the old or new policy. Add to this the fact that the ownership and control of Google will most likely be shifting over the next few years, if Google goes public. Bill Gates could buy the whole thing with the loose change he carries in his pocket.
Google apparently has no interest in destroying old data, and intends to keep it all as long as possible. It's a potential gold mine as a corporate asset, and a potential disaster in terms of civil liberties and privacy.
Google has no good reason for collecting any of the data they collect; they just do it.
They claim that none of it is "personally identifiable," without mentioning the fact that many IP numbers are static, and even if they aren't, new laws give the feds the power to make it "personally identifiable" without probable cause.
Google's outrageous cookie policy just makes it that much easier to tie it all together, for those who don't erase cookies frequently.
Google sets a cookie that expires in 2038 for anyone who visits any page of theirs and doesn't already have a Google cookie. They use a unique ID number in their cookie, and with this number they also log the Internet address (IP) number, date and time, search terms, and browser information. This is both unnecessary and scary.
There is nothing more revealing about a person than a history of that person's Google search terms. (Some of us use the Internet for something other than merely selling more and more widgets.)
Since Congress passed the Patriot Act last October, a showing of probable cause is not required for pen register or trap-and-trace information, and judges must grant the order. The definition of this sort of surveillance has been expanded for the Internet, and now includes "other dialing, routing, addressing, and signaling information." Search terms for engines such as Google are part of the URL address. The law's exclusion of "content" for this surveillance -- language that refers to the body of email messages -- is insufficient to exclude Web search terms in the URL. The FBI could set up Carnivore at Google (the feds will be happy to fork over the cost of any needed hardware or software), and we wouldn't even know about it. Similarly, the FBI can present a court order for Google's logs, from a judge who was required to sign without a showing of probable cause.
I was able to get the CIA to instantly withdraw their cookies this week. That's because even the CIA is accountable to the public (on the cookie issue at least) under federal guidelines. But there is no accountability for Google, even though the data they have collected is more revealing than anything the CIA has collected recently, by orders of magnitude.
How long before the feds zero in on Google's data? Why can't Google abandon most cookie use, and destroy logs after 30 days?
If they sit on their data without doing anything about their policies, they may wake up one day and discover that the feds have appropriated the entire thing. Already it may be too late; there's at least one former National Security Agency employee with a top secret clearance who is now a Google software engineer.
-- Daniel Brandt
Public Information Research, Inc.
Re:Scientology = a bunch of wackos (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Oh this ad idea is fun! (Google Cancel!) (Score:2, Interesting)
------ Forwarded Message
From: adwords-support@google.com
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 14:06:30 -0800
To: xxx
Subject: Changes to your Google Adwords campaign
Hello xx,
We are not able to run the following ad(s) in Ad Group #1, of Campaign #1 you have created using the Google AdWords Select Advertising Program:
Cult Fiction?
Travolta believes in Xenu...
...should you?
www.xenu.net
Thank you for advertising on Google. At this time, we are not running ads for sites that advocate against any individual, group, or organization. We review ads on a case-by-case basis and reserve the right to not run certain ads, or certain categories of ads. Due to our current ads policy, we are unable to run your ad on Google.
Google believes strongly in freedom of expression and therefore offers broad access to content across the web without censoring results. At the same time, we reserve the right to exercise editorial discretion when it comes to the
advertising we accept on our site, as noted in our advertising terms and conditions. Please note that the decisions we make concerning advertising in no way affect the search results we deliver. We will continue to show search results for this type of site.
Please feel free to email us at adwords-support@google.com if you have further questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
The Google AdWords Team
------ End of Forwarded Message