Google to allow censorship of Blogger content

Google quietly revealed earlier this month it will allow censorship in some countries of content on its Blogger service.

The move came shortly before Twitter announced it will allow foreign governments to censor specific Tweets.

On Jan. 9, Google said that users in some countries accessing the Blogger platform will be redirected to a country-specific Web addresses.

"For example, if you're in Australia and viewing [blogname].blogspot.com, you might be redirected [blogname].blogspot.com.au," Google explained.

The change will allow Google to comply with censorship requests on a "per country basis."

"Migrating to localized domains will allow us to continue promoting free expression and responsible publishing while providing greater flexibility in complying with valid removal requests pursuant to local law," Google wrote.

The censored content will still be accessible from other countries.

The policy change went mostly unnoticed until TechDows and Wired reported on it Tuesday.

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