Reclaim the Net – “We recently did a deep-dive for members about how the DMCA and copyright claims are one of the greatest growing threats to free speech online. Now, an investigation has revealed that Google has fallen victim to fake copyright notices and is taking down several legitimate news articles and similar search results. Google, much like any other search engine, is mandated to comply with the DMCA guidelines, according to which copyrighted content cannot be returned in search results. Leveraging this loophole, several unscrupulous individuals or organizations, have filed anywhere near four billion fake copyright complaints to take down links to news pieces that showed a particular political figure or an individual in a negative light. In the recent past, for instance, Google returned the result of an article that covered the movements of two coronavirus-infected Brits who were in Vietnam and thereby warned others to take precautions when coming in contact with tourists who have been to international destinations. But now, the article does not appear in search results anymore. What could be the reason? A copyright claim….”