FC: Are Archive.org, Google delisting other Scientology critics?

[Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>]

Previous Politech message:

"An open letter to the Internet Archive on Scientology and the DMCA"
http://www.politechbot.com/p-04021.html

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From: Dave_Touretzky@cs.cmu.edu
To: declan@well.com
Subject: they blocked my ENTIRE web site
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 21:33:14 -0400

ARCHIVE.ORG has blocked my entire web site: all of www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst
[cmu.edu].  My home page.  My list of professional publications.  My
research project web pages.  The Gallery of CSS Descramblers.
Tutorial pages, Lisp book, everything I've written.

I don't exist. I've never existed. I've been erased from Internet
history.

All because I dared to have some anti-Scientology material on my web
site.

ARCHIVE.ORG boasts a relationship with the Lbrary of Congress and with
the National Science Foundation. I wonder if they are receiving any
government funding.  Surely it is impermissible to do the bidding of
an abusive cult, at the expense of honest citizens, while taking
government money?

-- Dave Touretzky

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Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 15:36:27 -0700
To: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
From: Kristi Wachter <info@scientology-lies.com>

Hello Declan,

After noticing a decline in activity on my www.truthaboutscientology.com 
site over the past week, I did a quick Google search and discovered that 
pages that were found with Google just a week ago are no longer appearing 
in their search results.

I suspect that Scientology has complained to Google, but the Google 
searches do not show any DMCA complaints or other indications that the 
results are incomplete.

I have received no complaints from Scientology lawyers about copyright 
infringements at either of my Scientology-related sites, 
www.scientology-lies.com or www.truthaboutscientology.com, although I have 
received a trademark infringement notice. I responded to that complaint 
(http://www.truthaboutscientology.com/ceaseanddesist.htm), pointing out 
that under the Lanham Act my non-commercial site is not infringing, and the 
letter is webbed at my site at at the Chilling Effects site. (I have also 
webbed my correspondence with Google over their refusal to run ads for my 
sites at http://www.scientology-lies.com/google.html.)

I am aware of Scientology's extremely litigious history, so, like many 
critics, I'm very careful about copyright issues. I have taken great care 
to stay well within fair use guidelines, and I do not believe anything on 
either of my sites comes anywhere near copyright infringement.

I have just sent feedback to Google asking whether I've been delisted, and 
I am currently waiting for a response.

I think I will suggest to Google that they require DMCA complainants to 
certify that they have sent DMCA complaints directly to US-based site 
owners before complaining to Google. If the Church of Scientology isn't 
going to complain directly to me, they shouldn't complain to Google.

I will let you know when I have further information.


Thank you,


Kristi

Kristi Wachter
the activist formerly known as "Jour" (until $cientology outed me)

I think $cientology is hurting people and breaking the law, and I want
them to stop it. See http://www.scientology-lies.com for more.
  




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