Google has a feature called “Save to Google” that allows users to bookmark web pages and access them later. However, some users have recently discovered that Google has quietly started to remove links from their private collections that point to infringing pages. These links are also removed from Google’s search index as required by the DMCA.
One user shared his experience on Reddit, where he received an email from Google notifying him that a link to a defunct KickassTorrents domain was removed from his collection. The email doesn’t explain why the link was removed but when he tried to access it, he was informed that it was deleted because it violated Google’s terms of service.
“Google has quietly started to remove ‘pirate’ links from its search results that point to infringing pages. This goes beyond the traditional DMCA takedown notices, which are still in effect. The new removals affect links that users save privately using Google’s own services.” – Ernesto Van der Sar, TorrentFreak
It is not clear whether this is a new policy or a bug, and whether it affects other Google services as well. We have reached out to Google for a comment and will update this article if we hear back.
Google has been under pressure from the entertainment industry and governments to crack down on online piracy for years. The company has delisted more than six billion URLs from its search results over the past decade in response to DMCA takedown requests.
“Google’s transparency report reveals that since 2011, it has received requests to remove over 6.8 billion URLs. Of these, 88% (over six billion) were delisted.” – Rob Thubron, TechSpot
However, not all rightsholders are happy with the system. They believe that Google should do more to prevent pirated content from showing up in its results in the first place.
“While Google is generally quick to process these requests, not all rightsholders are happy with the system. They believe that the search engine should do more to prevent pirated content from showing up in its results in the first place.” – Rob Thubron, TechSpot
Some users have also expressed their concerns about Google’s removal of links from their private collections. They argue that they have the right to save whatever they want for their personal use and that Google is violating their privacy by monitoring their saved links.
Relevant articles:
– Google Removes ‘Pirate’ URLs from Users’ Privately Saved Links, by Ernesto Van der Sar, published on TorrentFreak on August 31, 2023
– Google Removes ‘Pirate’ URLs From Users’ Privately Saved Links, by TDUK, published on TechDoctorUK Tech News on August 30, 2023
– Google removes “pirated” URLs from users’ private link collections, by Aroged, published on Aroged on August 31, 2023
– Google delisted six billion alleged ‘pirate’ links in ten years, by Rob Thubron, published on TechSpot on October 5, 2022