Governments Are Censoring Internet 25x More Than in 2011

Governments demanded that Google remove approximately 25,000 items from the internet in the first half (H1) of 2025.

This was a 25-fold increase from roughly 1,000 requests in the first half of 2011.

“Privacy and security” was the dominant reason for censorship, accounting for 4,958 removal requests last year.

The data was harvested from Google’s Transparency Report.

In the first half of 2011, hate speech and adult content each accounted for roughly 30 and 20 removal requests, respectively. These numbers were small, but explicitly tracked, reflecting moral and social concerns that shaped early digital regulation.

By 2025, neither category appears to be a major standalone driver of removal demand. This absence is striking, particularly given the intense public debate over hate speech on social platforms over the past decade. 

Based on projections, governments are likely to demand approximately 50,000 content removals from Google in 2026.