Google Takes Objection to Murdoch’s Tweets

Rupert Murdoch is a surprisingly good tweeter, direct and revealing in his comments, but he is also the head of a media conglomerate, so when he loses his cool and fires off a shot at “[p]iracy leader” Google, it has reverberations beyond the nail salon.

Murdoch’s anti-piracy campaign is heating up because the Stop Online Piracy Act appears stalled in the capital. This, no doubt, because there are giant technology companies lobbying against the giant media companies who want the power to shut down websites that they perceive as pirate enablers.

Google responded by calling Murdoch’s tweets “nonsense.”

Other tech firms concerned about legislation that might threaten the free and open Internet are planning to make their voices heard without the help of lobbyists. Wikipedia and Reddit have joined a group of sites planning to go dark Jan. 18.

Murdoch softened his stance by tweeting that Google is a “great company doing many exciting things.” But he later said he rested his case after searching for and discovering links to download “Mission Impossible.” — PZS