Monday 1 June 2009

Google: Don't be Evil‏

Google: Don't be Evil!

You've seen the Genocide denial ads. Now take action!

May 28th: The Struggle for the Fate of a Nation

81 years ago, amid the chaos of WWI & the turmoil of genocide, a small but resilient people drew on their legendary past for strength as they made their last stand for freedom at the gates of Sardarabad. Read more. . .

Bruce Fein: Attacking Genocide Education for Schoolchildren
Read the article and watch the videos.

ANCA Endowment Fund Telethon

Sun. May 31st

3PM to 9PM PDT
6PM to 12AM EDT


Google - the world's leading search engine and on-line advertising venue - continues to host genocide denial ads placed by the Turkish Coalition of America, despite protests from the genocide-prevention community.

Ask Google to live up to its guiding principle of "Don't be Evil" by refusing to profit from an organization seeking a platform for their historically inaccurate, morally reprehensible, and deeply offensive genocide denial campaign. It only takes a minute.

Simply share your thoughts on this Google response form, or just cut and paste from the message provided below. Please note that personalized letters are always more effective.

Background:

The search terms: "Armenian Genocide," "Armenia," and "Armenian" typically trigger a Google AdWords link that reads either: "History not Propaganda," or "Learn Armenian Atrocities." Both direct users to the Turkish Coalition of America's website, which features extensive content denying the Armenian Genocide.

Google, with annual revenue of more than $20 billion and total assets of more than $1 billion, is guided by the unofficial slogan, "Don't be Evil." It has also come under criticism by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for cooperating with the Chinese government's censorship of the Internet. Google disputes these charges.

Sample Letter to Google:

Eric E. Schmidt, Ph.D.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Google, Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043

Dear Dr. Schmidt:

I am writing to ask you to officially review the Turkish Coalition of America's compliance with your advertising policy and, more broadly, to consider whether this organization's use of Google's broad international platform to advance its campaign of genocide denial reflects the mission and values of your corporation and its shareholders.

My concerns relate specifically to the Coalition's purchase of the phrase "Armenian Genocide" and other related terms to drive traffic to their genocide denial website: www.turkishcoalition.org. These ads are misleading to Google patrons, profoundly offensive to victims and survivors of all genocides, and contribute to an environment of outright denial and impunity in the face of mass atrocities that continues to fuel the cycle of genocide to this very day.

Any form of complicity in genocide denial clearly falls far outside of your unofficial mandate of "Don't be Evil." In this spirit, we ask you to formally review your organization's legal, corporate, and moral obligations in this matter.

As a frequent user of your services, I value your products and would very much appreciate your immediate attention to my concerns.

Sincerely,

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