Dear readers,
Today, I spread my platform to our friend, Omar, the Author of 24 Steps to Liberty, to tell us a troubling story. He has requested to use my blog today to communicate with his readers, for reasons you will know when you read below.
Thanks.
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Dear respected readers,
I have tried to post a new entry on my blog, 24 Steps to Liberty, lately, but I was surprised that blogger.com wouldn’t let me post anything. There was a message that said:
“This blog has been locked due to possible Blogger Terms of Service violations. You may not publish new posts until your blog is reviewed and unlocked. This blog will be deleted within 20 days unless you request a review.”
As you know, my blog doesn’t violate any terms of service. Many of you have been following my blog for a long time now and can understand that it is a political blog that is published to inform the readers about the situation in Iraq and the shortcomings of the so called “Iraqi government.”
Mine is the first blog to have a section dedicated to visiting writers, who are encouraged and requested to read my blog’s own Code of Ethics before they send any contribution.
I have no idea what the reason is for not allowing me to write on my own blog. But what I know is that this couldn’t have happened without the intervention of the enemies of freedom of speech, which is one of America’s promises to the world. I am very disappointed with this matter and many ideas have crossed my mind, none of which has teased my brain or dedication with a “quit” advice.
There are people who are dedicated to silence the truth, and they exist everywhere in the world. We all know who they are in the American blogsphere. They do not comprehend the idea of people disagreeing their own thoughts and ideologies.
I’ve filed a request to review my blog. The website promised a review within two business days. That means the problem will be solved by mid next week. I will post my next entry as soon as I can.
If the blockage was not removed, I promise the readers that I will find another way to communicate with them and keep telling the truth as I see it, as long as I am alive. I did not come to The United States to be silenced. I could have stayed in Iraq if I wanted to give up. I have much respect for the idea of freedom of speech and I have enjoyed it so far. This country is the platform for people like me, who want to help the world understand its different cultures and backgrounds. If America denies me this right, then we have a bigger problem, which I will not exclude from my criticism.
I have long thought about a day like this, when my beliefs are challenged and my ideas and analysis of the catastrophe in Iraq has ruffled some feather. But I will not give up.
If you’d like to contact me, you can send me an email at 24stepstoliberty@gmail.com
Thank you for your support in advance.
Here's the terms of service section for blogger that pertains to content (It's not the only way to get your blog removed, but these are some ways for sure):
ReplyDelete--------------------------------
PORNOGRAPHY AND OBSCENITY:
Pornography and Obscenity: Image and video content that contains nudity, sexually graphic material, or material that is otherwise deemed explicit by Google should be made private. Otherwise, we may put such content behind an interstitial.
Pedophilia, Incest and Bestiality: Users may not publish written, image or video content that promotes pedophilia, incest and bestiality.
Commercial Pornography: We do not allow content that exists for the primary purpose of monetizing porn content or driving traffic to a monetized pornography site.
Child Pornography: Google has a zero-tolerance policy against child pornography, and we will terminate and report to the appropriate authorities any user who publishes or distributes child pornography.
HATEFUL CONTENT: Users may not publish material that promotes hate toward groups based on race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, and sexual orientation/gender identity.
VIOLENT CONTENT: Users may not publish direct threats of violence against any person or group of people.
COPYRIGHT: It is our policy to respond to clear notices of alleged copyright infringement. More information about our copyright procedures can be found here.
PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION: We do not allow the unauthorized publishing of people's private and confidential information, such as credit card numbers, Social Security Numbers, and driver's and other license numbers.
IMPERSONATION: We do not allow impersonation of others through our services in a manner that is intended to or does mislead or confuse others.
UNLAWFUL USE OF SERVICES: Our products and services should not be used for unlawful purposes or for promotion of dangerous and illegal activities. Your account may be terminated and you may be reported to the appropriate authorities.
SPAM, MALICIOUS CODES AND VIRUSES: We do not allow spamming or transmitting malware and viruses.
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The biggest reason that things seem to get deleted by google (from places like blogger, youtube, or other sites they own) is copyright (like using a graphic or photo that doesnt belong to you) or by someone complaining about content as being in violation of their policies.
Google in my opinion has a horrible record on free speech for a number of reasons. Keep in mind, this is the company that teamed up with the government of China to help censor information from getting to the chinese people (such as tienanmen square).
Having said that, free speech in America gives you the right to say things freely, but that doesn't mean a private company must provide you with a platform to distribute your speech. For example, I couldn't go to a book publisher or newspaper and demand they reprint your words under some free speech law. They would say go start your own newspaper if you dont like it. They don't have to distribute anything they don't want to if they own the method of distribution. Such is the case with google.
But on the flip side, google can't make those decisions to deny service based on discrimination (just as the guy in the previous video doesn't have the right to deny service based on a woman wearing muslim clothing). If they deny service, it must be for a reason stated in thier terms of use, part of which I reprinted above.
It's always a good idea to keep a back up of your blog so that if it ever gets deleted, you can reprint it elsewhere. Personally, I like wordpress better than google but thats just my opinion. If you don't have a backup, you can probably retrieve most of your blog's content from google cache searches of your blog's history. If all else fails, you can always start a new blog under a different name and repost your old stuff, but before you do that on blogger, make sure you find out exactly what the violation was so that you can adress it properly or it will happen again.
In my opinion, google is becoming like news editors in certain foriegn countries that don't let you print certain content without being shut down. But then; google is an international world company, their loyalty to American ideas like free speech takes a back seat to thier money interests. Thats why if they see something that they think they might get sued for allowing to be posted (libel, copyright violation, slander, etc.) they take it down and make you prove that it is not such a violation. Many of these "violations" are very much a matter of opinion as to if they are truly a violation or not, and free speech unfortunately gets trampled many times when it should not. Keep in mind, they have no commitment to freedom of speech, they only have commitment to profit and money. Thats what I dont like to see about the direction America is heading in the computer age. More needs to be done to protect freedom of speech before it goes away in this country at the hands of international companies who have no loyalty to American principles but only to dollars.
I'm sorry to here this. Somebody obviously clicked the 'Flag Blog' item at the top of the screen. You will just have to wait until Google reviews your blog. I don't think you have pornography or anything hateful on your blog so it will probably be cleared. People can be jerks. I don't know how many people have to click that button to get the automatic response but it is probably more than one (I would hope). This means your blog might have been targeted by some group on the Internet that doesn't like what you are saying. I did a Google search but wasn't able to locate anybody specifically targeting you. Good luck on getting this resolved.
ReplyDeleteoh god. i am very worried it may have been a result of my participation in your comment section especially regarding something i recently mentioned that one of our gov trolls copied 'made out of whole cloth'.
ReplyDeletemaybe it is stupid of me to ask if it is my fault.
omar, as i have told you before, your voice is so important because it is so pure. you have such a brilliant mind and above all, an innocent mind, innocent in that you have so much trust in your own judgment and reality. completely uncorrupted.
you know we have disagreed about many things, but i have always respected your voice because of it's genuine character, from where you come from. you are sooo iraqi. you make me in touch we realness of an iraqi mind. your words and thought are like water in a desert.
oh god what is happening to us?
heart pulsing for your voice. truth will prevail. i will alwats stand by your side and treasure the gifts you have shared w/me.
why do we empower fanatics and silence rational thought?
w/love and respect and confidence truth will prevail. one world.
solidarity
annie
BT, or anyone.. how do i write blogger and tell them i protest this? could we all protest this?
ReplyDeletealso, i wonder if our (cough) 'comrads' at gov troll anti iraq central will rally in your cause for a freee iraqi voice to prevail?
I'm trying to find a way in order to call or email Blogger, but couldn't find anything yet.
ReplyDeleteThat's crazy, 24. Is flagging a blog really that easy? I've no doubt some would use that against others if so. *ssholery is all they have, as you know. I'm sure you'll be up & running in no time as soon as they review your blog. Let us know if we can do anything for you.
ReplyDeleteHere is some information that might be useful:
ReplyDeleteWhat is the "Flag" button?
Why is my blog disabled?
Based on these links I think that your blog was accidentally classified as spam. If your blog was classified as offensive a Content Warning would have appeared instead. This spam classification could have occured by several people flagging your blog or by Google's automated program.
I just did a search and it appears that there are only two realistic ways to contact blogger:
ReplyDeleteThe Contact Form
The Blogger Help Group (which is monitored by Google staff)
I've noticed a lot of people have posted to the help group about blogs blocked due to being flagged for spam so that might be the place to request assistance. I hope this helps resolve your problem quickly.
This news about Omar's blog is very disturbing! I hope that the review he has requested will clear this matter up. I can't imagine what Blogger would find as a violation of their rules on Omar's blog!
ReplyDeleteOmar, most likely there are some who have other opinions then yours and your readers and don’t respect freedom of speech so therefore have clicked your blog as offensive and made it blocked.
ReplyDeleteOmar, I am confident that your blog will be up and running soon. Be it an irritated pathetic group of people who wanted to silence you or just a simple mistake in both cases your blog will be back!
Good on you both for letting us know what was going on. Keep up the good work!
Lots of respect to both of you from your blog friend Nadia
Mine is the first blog to have a section dedicated to visiting writers, who are encouraged and requested to read my blog’s own Code of Ethics before they send any contribution.
ReplyDelete"Mine is the first blog to have a section dedicated to visiting writers, who are encouraged and requested to read my blog’s own Code of Ethics before they send any contribution."
ReplyDeleteWell I would have to take issue with that statement, and would need to see the proof of "first" before conceding.
BT,
ReplyDeleteCheck below link on how to unlock a blogger's account:
My client's blog has been locked.
Thanks, Fay!
ReplyDeleteOmar,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear about this. As you know, I have disagreed with you on different issues, but I certainly would hate to see you disappear from the blogosphere. The possibility of some people flagging your blog is certainly valid. But have you also thought of the copyright clause? I am sure you have Betool Fekaiki's permission to post the paintings. Maybe Blogger doesn't realize that?
Good luck, and I hope this is cleared up shortly.
last night i posted under the 'how do i' section of the blogger help group. the title is 'blog blocked'.
ReplyDeletethe link
they seem to have a lot of people posting. in the search function @ the help link i posted 'blog blocked' and could see thousands of complaints.
why now? why Omar?
Hm. Guess it really was a good move to start using Wordpress and to put my blog on a server I have to pay a very reasonable monthly fee for.
ReplyDeleteAs I don't intend to go and break any laws, it is rather unlikely the same will happen to me, no matter what I'll say.
*hugs Omar*
Let's hope this really was nothing more than some spiteful right-wing assholes pressing "flag blog" and that Blogger will put Omar back in charge of his blog as soon as possible.
Yes, of course, you'd find another way to continue, but it'd be a crime if Blogger deleted all of your posts.
An angry Mel
BT, have you heard anything from iraq about the fire in sadr city. it is sounding rather dire. this can't be good.
ReplyDeletealso, i wonder if this means omar cannot post at all, even on other people's blogs.
Annie,
ReplyDeleteThe PUK website reported in Arabic that the fire was in Jameela market, one of Baghdad's major wholesale markets. No further news were reported yet.
sometimes blogs get blocked by accident - sometimes people click the "flag blog" by accident.... I almost did one time, on a blog I didn't read regularly.
ReplyDeleteI have had my blogs blocked (and released) because of too many posts and too many links inside a post.... but they cleared it up.
Thank you very much for the support.
ReplyDeleteI know what I say on my blog doesn’t satisfy many deceived people, but I never thought it will come to such this; to just try to sabotage my platform.
BUT, I knew this was going to happen one day, given that my analysis of the situation in Iraq has proven right and my predictions have been right to the point, which is what some idiots don’t like. Therefore, I have taken all the steps to store all my entries, and the comments, long time ago. And I also have a surprise to be announced soon! It was a matter of time anyway; the idiots didn’t think I would always depend on blogger, did they?
Iraq's Maliki threatens to bar Sadr from vote
ReplyDeleteBAGHDAD, April 7 (Reuters) - Iraq's prime minister raised the stakes in his showdown with followers of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, saying in an interview broadcast on Monday they would be barred from elections unless their militia disbands.
"A decision was taken ... that they no longer have a right to participate in the political process or take part in the upcoming elections unless they end the Mehdi Army," Maliki said in an interview with CNN, according to a report posted on the U.S. television network's Web site.
Although the government made little headway in Basra, Sadr called his militia off the streets a week ago. But U.S. and Iraqi forces have continued to surround Sadr City.
Iraqi forces moved into southern parts of Sadr City on Sunday. Hospital sources said at least 25 people died and more than 90 were wounded in the fresh fighting.
Another strike unleashed a huge fire in the Jamila market, a vast wholesale bazaar that provides food for much of the eastern half of Baghdad.
BT, will you write us a post on what you think of this current situation, including maliki's threat to ban sadr from the political process?
ReplyDelete