MSN Speaks Out About Censorship

Microsoft on Tuesday set guidelines for the removal of content on its MSN Spaces blogging platform, saying a broader discussion on the topic was needed to provide a basis on which other services could form their own content policies when faced with demands from local governments.

The company reaffirmed its position at a meeting of government officials in Lisbon, Portugal. The meeting comes after a firestorm over Google's recent censoring of search results on its Chinese Web site, a move that contradicted its philosophy of offering the most open, unadulterated search results.

Microsoft Senior Vice President and General Counsel Brad Smith said the company's policy in dealing with government orders can be broken down into three pillars: standards for protecting content access, maintaining global access, and user notification.

Unlike Google, Microsoft is forcing governments to take a proactive stance in having information removed. The company said it must receive legal notice that the content violates local laws before it is taken down. Microsoft would continue to remove content on its own if it violates the MSN Spaces terms of service.

When content is blocked due to local laws, MSN Spaces will now only block the content in that region, while allowing it to be viewed elsewhere in the world. Smith said the company is currently implementing this change into the Spaces infrastructure.

Also, if content is blocked, Microsoft will follow a policy of notifying the user with an explicit reason. Smith added that the industry needs to have a dialogue on content restriction issues to develop a set of principles to guide how companies deal with more restrictive governments.

Ostensibly agreeing with Google's moves in China, Smith said that Microsoft believes it is important to offer services in restrictive markets rather than skip these areas altogether. In the end, it benefits the consumer, he argued.

MSN Spaces is one of the largest blogging tools on the Internet with 35 million users.