Kenya Government Issues Directive for Google to Remove Specific Online Content

Google has recently published a report that sheds light on the requests made by the Kenyan government to have certain content removed from the internet.

Between January and June 2023, multiple government institutions submitted a total of 58 requests to Google, as revealed by the Google Transparency Report. Similarly, between June and December 2022, an additional 5 requests were made. The focus of these requests was predominantly on defamatory content and instances of impersonation, specifically concerning high-ranking government officials.

During these periods, content that endangered national security or infringed trademark laws was also identified for deletion. It is important to mention that most government requests were issued through legal orders, whereas some were submitted by individuals. The report recognizes that there were cases where content was not removed upon request either because it lacked clear details or because the author had already taken it down.

"Courts and government agencies around the world regularly request that we remove information from Google products. We review these requests closely to determine if content should be removed because it violates a law or our product policies. In this report, we disclose the number of requests we receive in six-month periods." says Google.

According to Google, the government had a noble intention of protecting Kenyans from fraudsters with their requests also extending to websites that often lure Kenyans with fake job offers. The Communications Authority of Kenya also approached Google asking for the deletion of a Google Form that was masquerading as a reputable local bank.

"We restricted access to the Google Form for violation of Google Drive Abuse Program Policies," reads the report in part.