Court Rules Search Engines can Censor Results

03-28-2014 • Next News Network

Should censoring search engine results on the internet be protected as free speech? A U.S. court ruled the Constitution ensures the right to block news stories. China's most popular search engine, Baidu, also operates in the United States. Even in America, the Website does not return results related to pro-democracy groups in China. Eight pro-democracy advocates in the United States sued the company. They claimed the policy illegally violated their right to free speech. The group sued managers of Baidu for 16 million dollars. Jesse Furman, a U.S. district judge, ruled the First Amendment protects the censoring of search results. In his ruling, the judge wrote "The First Amendment protects Baidu's right to advocate for systems of government other than democracy (in China or elsewhere) just as surely as it protects plaintiffs' rights to advocate for democracy."