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Google changes Palestinian location from 'Territories' to 'Palestine'

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Google changes Palestinian location from 'Territories' to 'Palestine'

#11

Post by ars »

meepmorp wrote: post #3
ars wrote: post #2

It's interesting how internet companies are taking authority over many things away from official entities that nominally should have that authority. For example owning the domain name is more important than registering a trademark for that name.

> It's interesting how internet companies are taking authority over many things away from official entities that nominally should have that authority. What authority is google taking up here? A text change on a localized website? Nothing about the I/P conflict is changed here. Unless Google's gotten a seat on the UN Security Council since I last read the news.

The point is that these days having Google recognize your claims to being a country is more important than having the UN recognize it (which it doesn't, yet Google does).

Re: Google changes Palestinian location from 'Territories' to 'Palestine'

#12

Post by angli »

wsc981 wrote: post #4

I don't think companies should take a stance on political issues, which is what Google is doing here. Would actually prefer companies have totally no influence on politics at all, but as we all know, that would be an utopia.

I don't think this comment makes much sense. If the original name was not political, then the change should be apolitical too. If the choice of text on the .ps page was a "political issue," then google's use of "Palestinian Territories" was already political in a pro-Israeli way – changing it is no worse than keeping up the old text.

Yes, I know you're jumping on the "corporations have too much power" bandwagon, but here I don't think it makes any sense.

Re: Google changes Palestinian location from 'Territories' to 'Palestine'

#13

Post by JustinSeriously »

wsc981 wrote: post #4

I don't think companies should take a stance on political issues, which is what Google is doing here. Would actually prefer companies have totally no influence on politics at all, but as we all know, that would be an utopia.

Why Google made this change, from the article, "In this case, we are following the lead of the UN, Icann [the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers], ISO [International Organisation for Standardisation] and other international organisations."

When it comes to Israel/Palestine, every mapmaker in the world is taking a stance.

Re: Google changes Palestinian location from 'Territories' to 'Palestine'

#14

Post by potatolicious »

sp332 wrote: post #5
meepmorp wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's interesting how internet companies are taking authority over many things away from official entities that nominally should have that authority. What authority is google taking up here? A text change on a localized website? Nothing about the I/P conflict is changed here. Unless Google's gotten a seat on the UN Security Council since I last read the news.

Maps really are just lines on paper. "A text change on a localized website" is all the power you need to recognize someone's authority.

True, though recognition of someone's authority is not "taking" authority at all, which is what OP was complaining about.

One can make the argument that Google shouldn't be endorsing either side, but taking authority away from either they are not.

Re: Google changes Palestinian location from 'Territories' to 'Palestine'

#16

Post by dragonwriter »

wsc981 wrote: post #4

I don't think companies should take a stance on political issues, which is what Google is doing here. Would actually prefer companies have totally no influence on politics at all, but as we all know, that would be an utopia.

> I don't think companies should take a stance on political issues, which is what Google is doing here.

Every possible choice of wording for anything having to do with the area of land bounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt involves taking a stance on a contentious political issue.

I don't think corporations (or anyone else) should avoid making such choices because they inherently require taking such a stance, nor do I think that they should avoid changing such choices because of that.

Re: Google changes Palestinian location from 'Territories' to 'Palestine'

#17

Post by raimondious »

ars wrote: post #11
meepmorp wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's interesting how internet companies are taking authority over many things away from official entities that nominally should have that authority. What authority is google taking up here? A text change on a localized website? Nothing about the I/P conflict is changed here. Unless Google's gotten a seat on the UN Security Council since I last read the news.

The point is that these days having Google recognize your claims to being a country is more important than having the UN recognize it (which it doesn't, yet Google does).

When the UN recognizes Palestine, it will be much more significant than Google's copy change.

Re: Google changes Palestinian location from 'Territories' to 'Palestine'

#18

Post by will_brown »

tokenadult wrote: post #10

This issue came up a few times before in discussion on Hacker News. A little known fact is that "facts on the ground," even entries in reference books or labeling on maps, can be taken in international law to indicate acquiescence to territorial claims by other countries (or to indicate assertion of hostile claims by the country in which the reference books or maps are published). This is why some countries with exte…

Under International Law it is the Montevideo Convention, under which the four criteria for statehood are defined:

The state as a person of international law should possess the following qualifications: (a) a permanent population; (b) a defined territory; (c) government; and (d) capacity to enter into relations with the other states. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montevideo_Convention)

However, I like your phrase "facts on the ground" and think that is more on the practical side of what I might label "standing in the International Community" which is the most realistic aspect of designation of statehood.

Re: Google changes Palestinian location from 'Territories' to 'Palestine'

#19

Post by dragonwriter »

ars wrote: post #11
meepmorp wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's interesting how internet companies are taking authority over many things away from official entities that nominally should have that authority. What authority is google taking up here? A text change on a localized website? Nothing about the I/P conflict is changed here. Unless Google's gotten a seat on the UN Security Council since I last read the news.

The point is that these days having Google recognize your claims to being a country is more important than having the UN recognize it (which it doesn't, yet Google does).

> The point is that these days having Google recognize your claims to being a country is more important than having the UN recognize it (which it doesn't, yet Google does).

Actually, Google is (and this is covered in their announcement) following the UN and other international organizations in the wording change (which is not, on Google's part, recognition of Palestine as a State so much as recognition that it is an entity with the name "Palestine" rather than "Palestinian Territories".)

Also, the UN, as of last year, actually does recognize Palestine as a State, having accorded it the status of a "Non-member observer State". http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2012/ga11317.doc.htm

Re: Google changes Palestinian location from 'Territories' to 'Palestine'

#20

Post by dragonwriter »

raimondious wrote: post #17
ars wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point is that these days having Google recognize your claims to being a country is more important than having the UN recognize it (which it doesn't, yet Google does).

When the UN recognizes Palestine, it will be much more significant than Google's copy change.

> When the UN recognizes Palestine, it will be much more significant than Google's copy change.

The UN granted Palestine the status of "Non-member observer State" last year. This status change is one of the many by international organizations with regard to Palestine that led to Google making the "copy change" at issue here.

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