MySpace co-founder Tom Anderson has recently raised concerns on how Google+ could become a “cesspool that no one wants to visit, sorta like MySpace.” Tom issued a warning during a debate about the censorship on various Google Services, which was originally started after MG Siegler, TechCrunch columnist had his profile image removed by Google.
“It turns out, Google – without telling me – went into my account and deleted my profile picture. Why? Because I am giving the middle finger in it.” Siegler said in a statement regarding the issue. His profile pic, is him casually raising his Middle Finger to the camera, while looking away from the lens. After attempting to re-upload the picture, it was again removed by Google, without warning.
“My problem isn’t so much with the fact that I couldn’t have a profile picture of myself giving everyone the finger – which I can and do on Twitter and elsewhere – it’s that no one bothered to tell me or warn me before they just went into my account and deleted the picture. What if this was the only place I had stored the picture?”
Tom Anderson saw Sieglers article and decided to have his say on the whole debate too. In fact, Tom Anderson (MySpace Tom) defended Google’s censorship policies, saying “All Google+ has done here is execute on its stated plan: removing offensive photos,” and that all other social networks have similar policies.
Anderson continued. “In any case, I would respectfully submit that we, the users of Google+ (and Facebook or Twitter) don’t need to see you flipping us off, nor do we need to see you naked, or displaying something else generally considered offensive. When a social network [lets] that stuff slide, it turns into a cesspool that no one wants to visit… sorta like Myspace was.”
“Why am I not on Myspace? Because, I left the company in early 2009, and like most of you, I don’t like using it anymore … not a fan of what the new folks have done with Myspace.”
Anderson says that Google was right to remove the photo.
The debate has sparked many opinions and suggestions, Tech columnist Mike Elgan was in favour of Siegler’s profile photo saying “different things offend different people”
Source: The Guardian
