Bogus Copyright Claims Wipe Michael Carbonara Stories from Google
Dozens of online stories about congressional candidate Michael Carbonara have been removed from Google search results due to bogus copyright claims. The removals were reported by news outlets such as the South Florida Sun Sentinel, WLRN, and Florida Politics in the weeks leading up to the primary election.
The stories targeted for takedown included details on Carbonara's ties to a Michigan data center being sued by a nearby school. Google received tens of thousands of copyright infringement notices per week, many of which were likely fraudulent.
David Schutz, managing editor at the Sun Sentinel, argued that federal copyright law was designed to protect original work, not suppress reporting or hide inconvenient truths.
Schutz called for stronger oversight by Google and other search engines, saying 'a law designed to protect creativity isn't turned into a tool for digital censorship.'