Pakistan

Tehreek-e-Insaf
BY ELECTRONIC MAIL 22nd September 2012 Mr Eric Schmidt Chairman and Chief Executive Google Inc. (Google) 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, California 94043 U.S.A. Dear Sir, With reference to my earlier letter to you dated 17th September 2012, the situation resulting from Googles posting of the Innocence of Muslims video on the Google-owned website YouTube has escalated tremendously and has led to loss of innocent lives throughout the Muslim world and at least 29 people were killed in Pakistan on Friday, 21st September 2012. Particularly alarming is Googles insensitive and reckless refusal to remove the said video from YouTube. 1. This movie is based on derogatory, defamatory and blasphemous material, and is motivated by a deep-seated hatred for Muslims in the mind of the producer. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, as a mainstream political party in Pakistan with a global reach, demands of Google to follow (and review if it feels it is inadequate) its Terms of Use Policy that defines hate speech for material posted on this platform. Let me quote from your document: We dont permit hate speech (speech which attacks or demeans a group based on race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, and sexual orientation/gender identity). From press reports it is evident that even White House officials on Friday asked Google to review the posting of the hateful YouTube video but Google has refused to do so and has told The New York Times, that it does not have any intention of taking it down and that the Innocence of Muslims video does not violate YouTubes terms of service regarding hate speech because it is focused on the Muslim religion and not the people who practice it and that it is clearly within Googles guidelines and so will stay on YouTube. There is enough evidence that this video has incited the feelings of more than a billion Muslims throughout the world. Tens of millions came out on the streets in Pakistan to protest. It seems that more than 50 deaths with millions of Muslims protesting over the

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Office of the Secretary General Suite # 101, 1st Floor, 1/C Commercial Area Mohammad Ali Society Apartments, Mohammad Ali Society, Tel: 34168051-3

Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf
video is not still proof enough for Google that this is Hate Speech. By contrast, YouTube removed a series of 10 animated movies about holocaust denial earlier this year which it thought came under hate speech and it is reported that it has removed more than 1700 videos of holocaust denial in the past. By every fair and reasonable measure and Google and its affiliates must surely consider themselves to be fair and reasonable entities would this not amount to discrimination in favor of the worlds Jewish population and against all the Muslims of this world, who are much more sensitive about any insult to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) than Jews are about holocaust denial? 5. The anger the video ignited is by itself enough evidence that the video is hateful in intent and effect and has already had very serious consequences including loss of lives, injuries to thousands, and of billions of dollars in damage to property, lost work and production. Google should also be aware that a crackpot in the US can make the world unsafe and the US has made statements that it will send its marines into 22 countries where US diplomatic lives are at stake. Does Google even realize the repercussions of these intentions and threats if they were to materialize and that it may lead to wars? Historically wars have been fought for much less and sometimes based on total misinformation. Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) protects the right to hold an opinion without interference but, the exercise of the rights provided for in paragraph 2 of this article carries with it special duties and responsibilities. It may therefore be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary: a. For respect of the rights or reputations of others; b. For the protection of national security or of public order (order public), or of public health or morals. Additionally, Article 20 of the ICCPR also adds, any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law. The article referred to here calls on states to take measures that are consistent with their obligations under international human rights law, to address and combat such incidents. 8. The Government of Pakistan has taken up our partys advice to approach the United Nations and Organization of Islamic countries to push for legislation that was defeated the last time

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Office of the Secretary General Suite # 101, 1st Floor, 1/C Commercial Area Mohammad Ali Society Apartments, Mohammad Ali Society, Tel: 34168051-3

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Tehreek-e-Insaf
at the UN when it was watered down and came out as a resolution adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council # 16/18 9. Presently the anger is being vented against the US because the perpetrator is a US citizen. It may only be a matter of time for people to focus that the problem is also of the propagating platform itself, that is, YouTube. There may be hundreds of thousands of people out there in the world who can incite others to carry out acts of terror and racial or religious violence, but they have not yet chanced upon a vehicle or tool as easy as YouTube to do so, which in its current form does not have adequate safeguards. Not only that, with Googles and YouTubes physical and/or virtual presence in practically all countries of the world, many of which have predominantly Muslim populations, you should also be mindful of the legal liabilities Google must be exposing itself to at a global level in YouTubes continuing to act as the propagating platform for such an insulting, offensive, hate-inciting, and violenceprovoking video as Innocence of Muslims.

10. It will become evident to people that although the hate bullet was manufactured by a criminal on parole residing in the US, the gun to fire the hate bullet has been provided by YouTube as a Google-owned website and controlled affiliate. On behalf of my party the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Mr Imran Khan I would like to demand of you that the video should be removed immediately and that adequate care should be taken to avoid repetition of such an incidence in future. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is putting Google on notice and reserves the right, and may contemplate initiating action against Google in accordance with all applicable laws in each and every jurisdiction where Google has a physical and/or virtual presence, and where it can be deemed to have indulged in, abetted, provoked, or incited any wrongdoing, including but not limited to causation of loss to life and property. Yours sincerely,

Dr Arif Alvi Secretary General Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

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