Inside Google: How the tech giant’s actions raise serious ethical questions

It is a crime and violates computer misuse laws if Google modifies content or edits the HTML of Blogger without consent or legal authority, because the platform belongs to them. This is exactly what I am experiencing as an African journalist in Europe.

 

For more than a decade, independent journalists and bloggers have relied on Google’s Blogger platform to publish stories, track readership, and measure impact. Pageview statistics are not a luxury; they are a fundamental tool for transparency, credibility, and audience engagement.

 

When Google suddenly disables this feature without warning, explanation, or a timeline for restoration, it does more than inconvenience writers. It undermines trust, silences independent voices, and disrupts the work of journalists who depend on accurate analytics to demonstrate reach and relevance.

 

As an African journalist living in Europe, I have spent years documenting injustices, exposing discrimination, and giving a voice to communities that mainstream media often ignores. My work depends on visibility. When Google disables pageviews, it directly affects my ability to show the world that these stories matter and that people are reading them.

 

A Silent Form of Censorship

 

Google may not call it censorship, but the effect is the same. When a platform removes a critical tool that helps journalists measure their audience, it weakens their influence. Pageviews are more than numbers, they are evidence. They help writers:

• Demonstrate readership to advocacy organizations

• Track which topics resonate with the public

• Build credibility with partners and institutions

• Protect their work from being dismissed or erased

Without pageviews, independent journalists are left in the dark. It becomes easier for powerful institutions to ignore or undermine their work.

 

A Call for Transparency and Accountability

 

Google owes its users, especially journalists, activists, and marginalized voices, a clear explanation. Why were pageviews disabled? Why is there no communication? Why is there no timeline for restoration?

 

A company that controls such a large portion of the world’s information ecosystem has a responsibility to act transparently. Silence is unacceptable.

 

The Impact on African Journalists in the Diaspora

 

For African writers in Europe, visibility is already a struggle. Our stories are often sidelined, our experiences minimized, and our voices questioned. Pageviews help prove that our work resonates globally. They show that people care about the injustices we expose.

When Google removes this tool, it disproportionately harms those who are already fighting to be heard.

 

Google Must Act Now

 

Restoring pageviews is not a technical favor, it is a matter of fairness, transparency, and respect for the global community of independent journalists who rely on Blogger.

Google must:

• Restore the pageview feature immediately

• Provide a public explanation for the disruption

• Commit to transparency in future platform changes

Independent journalism is already under pressure from censorship, discrimination, and shrinking media spaces. Tech giants should not add to that burden.