Google Search’s data removal division is experiencing a record year, with a total of nine billion takedown notices received, one billion of which were added in just four months. The list of most searched sites has seen some newcomers, with the shadow library “Anna’s Archive” entering the top ten with two domain names.
Google began tracking all DMCA takedown notices in the early 2010s and released its Transparency Report in 2012, detailing copyright-related takedown requests. Despite Google’s anti-piracy efforts, pirated sites have proven to be resilient, often switching domains or URL structures to evade detection. The rapid increase in takedown notices in recent years has broken previous records, with Link-Busters being one of the most prolific senders.
New players in the takedown game include the adult entertainment company MG Premium and the hidden library search engine Anna’s Archive, targeted by major publishers. One new domain, 123rutor.su, has garnered over 100 million takedown notices, primarily from the Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company.
The use of subdomains by sites like Rutor has made takedown efforts more challenging for rights holders, with hundreds of subdomains being added regularly. Google only reports the total number of reported URLs but does not guarantee content removal for all of them. Some URLs are not indexed by Google and are placed on a blacklist to prevent them from appearing in search results.
At the current rate, it is anticipated that the ten billionth takedown notice will be reached by the end of the year, with more to follow in the future. Despite Google’s efforts, the battle against online piracy continues to be ongoing and challenging for all parties involved.
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https://torrentfreak.com/google-search-processed-a-billion-dmca-takedowns-in-four-months-240622/