Google censorship data puts focus on Web checks

BEIJING - Internet search giant Google on Wednesday released details of governments worldwide that sought to censor its services or requested personal information about its users - a move that draws public attention once again to the issue of cyber space management, analysts said.

The company published league tables showing which governments issued the most demands for content to be removed from its web sites in the second half of last year, or made the most requests for information about users of Google products for criminal investigation.

Brazil topped both lists, with the United States and India also figuring prominently and the United Kingdom and Germany the most active among European nations.