Google Tech Talks
January 8, 2007
Abstract
The legal threat is a powerful weapon — even when it’s wrong. Cease-and-desists have even become part of the search optimizers’ toolbox. ChillingEffects.org tracks the proliferation of cease-and-desist letters that threaten online activity and helps the public understand the legal claims and their effects.
For the past several years, Google has been sending the demands it receives to Chilling Effects. Rather than disappearing sites from its search results without notice, Google forwards the removal demands to Chilling Effects and links to those notices in its search results. Last year alone, Google got and forwarded more than a thousand…