From a certain age onwards the day after takes two. Leni Qinan’s blog Escritora y peligrosa was restored sometimes on last Sunday: See her reaction here. MJ’s Infomaniac came back into being early this morning – remember please I use Central European Time, too sad that there is no clock allowed here.
Meanwhile Leni can comment again as Leni, what was still not working yesterday; MJ will be able to comment as MJ in a short amount of time too. The comments are still gone, and I fear they will not come back.
I do not know whether one or each of the two has received an apology by google, and I still have not heard an explanation for all this. Leni got her blog back because she could reach google by e-mail, received via portable a code she had to give in. Then she was shown a message that someone had complained about her blog. Who, when, about what? No need to answer that.
I think that these things did not happen in the correct order. This is “shoot first, explain nothing later”.
In MJs case things are a bit different, because she could not reach google via e-mail: First because her complete g-mail-account was wiped out, second because there were server errors on google’s side. And because the Mistress is already under stress, so regaining a blog is not at the top of her agenda. But what one could call “the community” was not ready to accept this and protest and dissatisfaction, unrest even, was articulated in the google forum: Eroswings kept the thing moving until The Infomaniac returned. Go here and see the comments for a kind of chronic of the events. Savannah, The Princess – to name just a few, and I hope my deep apologies to all the other bloggers I do not name here now, will be accepted! – wrote about it and showed their concern.
I just checked on my old blog – the comments of both, Leni and MJ, are still missing.
After all I find it disturbing. The fact that this happens within a short time span to two blogs, that I heard from other bloggers that this happened to other blogs containing mildly sexual content, this is not suitable for appeasement. What frightens me is the simplicity and the totality: You leave a blog after reading, go to bed, and next morning its gone. But not “just” one blog. If you check the comments on your own blog, you’ll notice that this blogger’s comments are gone, traceless, you were talking with yerself. Blabbing mindlessly. I do not mind blabbing mindlessly around, I blog eh?, but who allows a third party to erase a part of my conversation? In whose head images of Big Brother are not awoken, has not heard about Orwell’s book. Or Betherell, and read Caldwell. This is a profound change of what happened – ein Eingriff in das, was geschehen ist: Und damit wird Geschichte verändert. It may on first glance look ridiculous to you, but what google did was: It changed history. By blanking out two online personalities, eliminating their traces, undoing them, literally wiping the slate clean. Think about it.
Postscriptum:
If you hoover with the mouse over the links in this post you activate the preview: It’s always the “Blogger Content Warning”.
Oh, what a rotten lot!
63 mago 
what google did was: It changed history. By blanking out two online personalities, eliminating their traces, undoing them, literally wiping the slate clean. Think about it.
this is it, sugar! a concise explanation of why we were all upset! censorship starts small and when unchecked can escalate into situations no one wants to contemplate! we HAD to say enough! xoxoxoxox
The only message from Google I got was the following …
“We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced. The issue you described should now be resolved.”
I’m exhausted by this whole thing.
And deeply indebted to all of you.
The term “the arrogance of power” describes it for me.
With no warning or explanation, MJ’s and Leni’s blogs and comments were summarily executed. Although both blogs are now restored, I think their comments — their own comments on their own blogs and their comments on other blogs — will never be restored. Years of comments gone in a flash.
No warning. No explanation. No reason. No apology. Such is the arrogance of power.
Lieber Mago, I haven’t received any apologies. Neither from Blogger nor from Google. I don’t expect any, either. I have posted a few questions about the removal of my blog and comments, but all I got was that standard copypasted answeer in the help forum from someone named DarkUFO about the procedure to follow to restore the blog, which I had already done. I do need answers, but I don’t think I’ll ever get them.
Who complained about my blog? I’m not 100% sure, but I think I have a very exact idea about who did it, how and why.
I planned to follow you to WordPress, but I’ve read the Terms of Service and they look even worse than Blogger’s, so I’m very disappointed.
But life goes on and as bloggers, we must keep blogging. Just in case BIG BLOGGER was watching me, I’m not going to change my writing style a tiny bit because of this. They may delete my blog again, but I’ll be back somehow. For the moment, all I can do is backup my blog and comments frequently and think about creating my own website, where I’ll be independent.
I’m very grateful to all of you, guys. You’re really great. Your support comments and comfort helped me more than words can say.
I send a very big hug to MJ. I know what she’s been through. The Infomaniac is back and it will be again the wonderful place it has always been.
And a special hug to you too, Mago. You’ve been so nice these days.
I’ll never forget it.
Hugs to you too, Miss Leni.
It’s been a trial. I couldn’t have done it without you. In fact, you bitches did it all FOR me!
Mago, how can we get email notification when someone comments on your blog after we’ve left a comment? Is it possible?
I’m calling it a night. Even though it’s only 4 pm here.
Yes, I’ll click the box. – At least I think there is one … but its an all state of the art blogging and content managing tool …
Censorship. I think it was Kapitano over at Eroswing’s Den who wrote about the possibility that a kind of bot was used. What would make sense in respect to the sheer amount of data google would have to check. And it would explain the machine-wise execution. But you see how dangerous and disturbing this is – always assumed that this is really true / the case.
It would mean that a machine driven by logarhythms decides over the online-existence of a real human. It could be described as the triumph of logic. The logical censor. Unmoved by emotions, solely based on logical calculation, the incorruptible censor.
Censeo, censui, censum, censere means “begutachten, einschätzen” means to survey or examine or review, and to estimate, assess or judge.
It is not possible that a machine can judge over a human being. It is impossible to reduce what a human says – in this case writes, or shows by linking a picture or a sound – to a mathematical equation, an equation which can result in the elemination of the online persona.
Oh and pardon please, we just kicked it in the bin, but you can work on. Now. Because we judged it. Its exactly what you describe as arrogance of power, xl. A flash from the sky, a god-like happening. Something like omnipotence phantasies. I like phantasies of omnipotence, they helped me to survive some very dark times, but I never executed them.
The alternative to this scenario is that they, the mathematicians and engeneers of power, simply do not think of the consequences. People do bring up these “content warning signs” in advance – and not only like Savannah, as a sign of solidarity! Power works via fear, not exclusively, but too.
MJ, I clicked a (the?) box, and now there’s a “Notify me”-thingy. Hope it’s the right thing.
Who cares if they restored MJ’s and Leni’s blog? The damage has been done. And while I’m happy that these creative woman no longer have to to work to get their CREATIVE PROPERITY returned, it’s still deeply disturbing and I will not forget.
@ Boxer, you’re right, it leaves a scar. Blogger’s concept is that they are not doing anything with your intelectual rights, they’re yours. But there are Terms of Service that are vaguely interpreted. Thank you for your support.
@MJ, you can get a notification of every comment you get in your blog -including yours- Settings/Comments/Comment notification email-. It’s useful. I found out a way of doing backups of a blog in xml format and restore it yourself, if necessary with an application called Blogger Backup. Jeez I’m getting so techy lately, LOL. But we should be ready just in case.
@Mago, You’re right, I think it works like this: Blogger gets an abuse report about your blog and their googlebot starts scanning your blog. I’ve got too many visits from it in the last weeks. But hey, you know what I got too? 7 new and wonderful followers, more hits than ever and a lot of love and support from my blog friends. This is more precious than gold. Thanks, fucking Blogger!
@Hai XL, and Savannah!
You guys are so right, it does leave a scar.
The fact we can all be deleted at Googles whim really pisses me off. Blogging for years and feeling like part of a communtity. To wake up one morning Like MJ and Leni to find you’re suddenly non existant. Im so glad everyone stood together on this and made them rethink.
Leni~ I hope whoever it was that reported you gets back all they have given tenfold..
Mago~ The blogging worlds a better place with you in it..
MJ’s comments are still vanishing, I only know that she’d been to my blog because it came through via email.
Sx