Censorship or Common Sense?

Some people, such as Vince, are concerned about a new feature here on Blogger called "Flag."

Blogger responds:

But most importantly, we're not automatically removing content based on the flags. We're using the feedback from Blog*Spot readers to help assess what the community has noted as potentially objectionable.

In the cases where objectionable content has been identified, the most common action is for the support team to "delist" the blog. This simply means that the blog is not promoted in areas of blogger.com like Recently Updated - but it's still viewable on the web. The content is not blocked or removed in anyway when the blog is delisted.

To clarify, our primary concern is to avoid promoting objectionable content in places like NextBlog or the Dashboard. In no way are we automatically removing such content."

And there's something about vote-inflation. I have no idea what that's about. I didn't realize there was a popularity contest, or I would've worn flats. (Hat tip: "Sordid Lives.")

I would prefer Blogger not have to take such actions. But as a commercial enterprise (owned by Google), I understand its concern over possible content. With the blogosphere exploding, Blogger does not have the resources to police everything on its site, and it needs a mechanism to find illegal material.

If Blogger abuses this, we can always vote with our feet and leave. Until then, I'm willing to give Blogger the benefit of the doubt. Google and Co. have shown over time that they are decent group of people.

UPDATE: For more on Google and its CEO's politics, visit here. Not a single contribution to anyone outside the Democrat Party.