It seems that Google is changing the way its Blogger service is structured and accessed, although this will be transparent to most users. The BBC reports:
Blogger sites can now be blocked on a "per country" basis after a change to its web address system.
Google will now be able to block access in individual countries following a legal removal request.
The new system means blocking will not require restricting world-wide access to a blog.
The changes apply in Australia, New Zealand and India, but the BBC understands Google plans to roll it out globally.
. . .
Under the new system, a blog reader will, in the first instance, be directed to a website address using a "country-code top level domain".
For example, for users based in Australia, Blogger's servers will automatically direct them to blogname.blogspot.com.au.
"If you visit a blog that does not correspond to your current location as determined by your IP address, the blogspot servers will redirect you to the domain associated with your country," Google said in a Q&A the company posted about the changes.
Google believes this will allow it to comply with local law enforcement requests, while keeping content available in other jurisdictions.
Additionally users will also able to tell Google to direct them to a different country web address by adding "/ncr" - ncr stands for "No Country Redirect".
In order to read a blog via a US web address users outside America would type " blogname.blogspot.com/ncr".
"Blog readers may request a specific country version of the blogspot content by entering a specially formatted 'NCR' URL, " the company wrote in the Q&A.
It is not clear, however, if this would work for requests to access blocked blogs made from the jurisdiction in which the removal notice originated.
There's more at the link. Bold print is my emphasis.
I can't say I like this change, because it basically conforms to censorship laws in less free countries; but I understand that Google can hardly defy those laws in those countries and expect to do business there. Since they've built in the 'NCR' back door, technically allowing readers in less free countries to access an 'international' version of Blogger (if their home countries haven't blocked access to it), that at least minimizes the censorship effect, as far as possible.
Peter
3 comments:
Time to find alternatives to google.
Peter,
what do you know about this search engine?,
I find it quite useful so far as an alternative
to google.
http://blekko.com/
I haven't used it, but I'll try it.
I live in CA. Yesterday, while I was commenting on Capitalist Preservation I was redirected to another site and told that an unusual amount activity had been occurring on my blog, and before I could post the comment I had to give Google either a cell phone number or a phone number, get a verification code. I stopped what I was doing, went to my blog, which had totally disappeared. I tried a couple of different routes, but was denied access. I posted my cell phone number and got a number code, which I entered, then submitted and was allowed to finish posting the comment. When I checked on my blog, it was back.
Talk about a VERY uncomfortable feeling.
My first impulse was to look for another alternative to Google. Thank you for posting this one.
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