The BBC reports that Google’s acquisition of You Tube may not be the advertising bonanza they expected.
Should Google lose a major YouTube court case and its share price suffers as a result, the company will have to brace itself not just for a deluge of lawsuits from copyright owners but disappointed shareholders as well. No doubt Google will have to work hard to steer YouTube into safe waters. Solid content identification, video watermarking, royalty reporting and clearer upload guidelines for YouTube members are a must. There is just one drawback: For some members that could take all the fun out of YouTube. Without fun, they might go elsewhere. And then Google’s deal would look much less like a bargain.
I think there is a bigger issue here. Given Google’s self censorious attitude in China, how will potential Chinese YouTube users be treated if they try to upload content that rankles Beijing? Pro-democracy webcasts, secretly filmed video of human rights abuses etc. may not find their way out to the wider world.
This is a more direct restriction of free expression than removing some search terms. Has Google therefore not only blindfolded the Chinese populace, but now potentially gagged them as well?
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