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While valid, only a fraction of the population would know to do this, and then a smaller fraction would believe it's worthwhile. It's an added inconvenience tha

While valid, only a fraction of the population would know to do this, and then a smaller fraction would believe it's worthwhile. It's an added inconvenience that has to outweigh the disadvantages of not doing it.

mirimir 9y ago
True. And thanks for confirming my supposition. It's rare to see this mentioned in coverage of the issue. For reasons that are understandable, I guess. The EU has pressured Google to censor its results globally, as I recall. But Google has prevailed on that, at least. So far, anyway.
- greglindahl 9y ago
  Even if Google can resist the EU about global censorship, small search engines can't afford to.
  - mirimir 9y ago
    True.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    Or they just don't do business in the EU. Lots of US businesses (and, for that matter Chinese, Japanese, etc.) just do business in their home countries. To the degree the EU makes it too difficult for certain types of businesses to operate there, they won't. It's a big market but it's not that big. If businesses can pull out of China because they can't reasonably operate there, they can pull out of Europe.
- michaelmrose 9y ago
  Further if Europe can ask for info to be censored what happens when 100 other nations ask the same for their own reasons. Will the search index be composed only of data that is acceptable to all parties?
  - mirimir 9y ago
    Yes, that is a foreseeable outcome. But Google would probably say "no" to many of them.
  - shandor 9y ago
    When EU dictates what can be in the search index it is "right to be forgotten". When China or Russia does it, it's at least "censorship", and probably also "dictatorship".
    - mirimir 9y ago
      Well, Google already left China.
jtbayly 9y ago
You're missing an even bigger issue. How would know that your search results are missing something in the first place? You're not going to use a VPN to search "from another country" unless you already know or suspect something but can't find any information on it and suspect the reason is because you are searching from the EU rather than the USA!
- unilynx 9y ago
  Google says so at the bottom of the page if results have been removed for your search

mirimir 9y ago

True. And thanks for confirming my supposition. It's rare to see this mentioned in coverage of the issue. For reasons that are understandable, I guess. The EU has pressured Google to censor its results globally, as I recall. But Google has prevailed on that, at least. So far, anyway.

greglindahl 9y ago
Even if Google can resist the EU about global censorship, small search engines can't afford to.
- mirimir 9y ago
  True.
- ghaff 9y ago
  Or they just don't do business in the EU. Lots of US businesses (and, for that matter Chinese, Japanese, etc.) just do business in their home countries. To the degree the EU makes it too difficult for certain types of businesses to operate there, they won't. It's a big market but it's not that big. If businesses can pull out of China because they can't reasonably operate there, they can pull out of Europe.
michaelmrose 9y ago
Further if Europe can ask for info to be censored what happens when 100 other nations ask the same for their own reasons. Will the search index be composed only of data that is acceptable to all parties?
- mirimir 9y ago
  Yes, that is a foreseeable outcome. But Google would probably say "no" to many of them.
- shandor 9y ago
  When EU dictates what can be in the search index it is "right to be forgotten". When China or Russia does it, it's at least "censorship", and probably also "dictatorship".
  - mirimir 9y ago
    Well, Google already left China.

jtbayly 9y ago

You're missing an even bigger issue. How would know that your search results are missing something in the first place? You're not going to use a VPN to search "from another country" unless you already know or suspect something but can't find any information on it and suspect the reason is because you are searching from the EU rather than the USA!

unilynx 9y ago
Google says so at the bottom of the page if results have been removed for your search