RIAA asking Google to block links to piracy sites

Considered as the Superpower of the Web, Google got a request from the Recording Industry Association of America(RIAA). Become the Web Police and start blocking links to illegal and pirated content.

The RIAA through CEO Cary Sherman called for Google as well as other search engines that they automatically block links to sites who are infringing copyrighted content. That would mean blocking torrent sites, free download/upload websites, peer to peer, and all others who are offering free downloads. The RIAA is hoping Google can help them police the internet against media piracy.

Google is reported to have already blocked 31,922 links dating back to last July. Yet Brad Buckles of the RIAA believes those numbers aren’t enough, as Google still has more links to copyright infringing websites

“Knowing the total number of links to infringing material available and the limitations Google imposes on rights owners to search for infringements reveals how meager the number of notices is relative to the vast amount of infringement”.

If this is the way the RIAA is trying to shut down major torrent sites like Pirate Bay, the site welcomes the threat. According to the owners of the site, they welcome the move by RIAA seeing it as an opportunity for them to get more visits.

“Right now about 10% of our traffic comes from these competing search engines. With that ban… users will go directly to us instead and use our search instead. It’s really hard to compete with Google, but if they can’t index media search engines like us, we’ll be the dominant player in the end. So from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU RIAA”.

Would love to see the look on the owners of Pirate Bay as they said those words.