Joel Savage
“This article is not a lawsuit; it is a declaration. It is
my testimony. It is my demand for recognition of the harm I endured, the
suppression, the interference, the lost years, and the emotional burden.
Whether Google ever acknowledges it is irrelevant. What matters is that I have
spoken, clearly and publicly, and now the world can judge for itself.”
I have always spoken openly about Google’s conduct toward
me. Perhaps no other African writer has documented their clandestine activities
as extensively as I have. For years, I have dedicated my life to writing, reporting,
and exposing the injustices faced by African communities in Europe. My work is
rooted in truth, history, and advocacy. Yet throughout this journey, I have
faced a silent but powerful adversary, Google, in collaboration with the
Belgian government.
What I endured went far beyond low traffic or poor
visibility. It was a pattern of suppression, interference, and unexplained
technical violations that no writer should ever experience. Google had already
destroyed one of our genuine health blogs, a platform dedicated to exposing
governments, powerful individuals, and pharmaceutical companies.
They were able to do this because the platform we chose,
Blogger, belongs to them. One morning, the three of us—myself, Joel Savage,
Dutch scientist and microsurgeon Johan van Dongen, and German medical doctor Wolff Geisler—woke up to find that our blog, Secrets of AIDS and Ebola
Journal, had completely disappeared. No warning, no explanation, no appeal. A
decade of research, evidence, and truth-telling was wiped out overnight.
Our health blog, Secrets of AIDS and Ebola Journal, grew into a global force, a platform read and respected by millions around the world. Its investigative articles exposed governments, powerful individuals, and pharmaceutical companies, and that visibility made it a target.
A few of
those sensitive health articles now appear on my current platform, Blog
Juskosave, which also operates under Google’s control. Thus, both Google and
the Belgian authorities have targeted this blog as well. However, this time, I
refused to be intimidated. I stood my ground and made it clear that I would
defend my work.
There were long stretches when my blog, despite consistent
publishing and global relevance, registered over 15 million reads, and sometimes, registering 10,000 reads, it received only 80 or 100 reads a day under Google’s
suppression. Not because my content lacked value, but because the system
controlling online visibility buried it. However, the suppression did not stop
at traffic.
Over the years, I witnessed deeply troubling things: widgets suddenly disabled, essential tools malfunctioning, and features that worked for others mysteriously failing on my blog alone. At times, Google’s platform interfered directly with my HTML code.
I would update my theme or add
legitimate scripts, only to find them altered, blocked, or removed without
explanation. These were not isolated glitches. They formed a pattern, a pattern
that always seemed to restrict my ability to manage my own site, improve my
visibility, or reach my audience.
When a corporation controls both the platform and the
visibility, such interference becomes more than a technical inconvenience. It
becomes a form of silence. I experienced moments where widgets were disabled
without warning. Statistics tools stopped functioning. Navigation elements
broke. Features that were essential for user engagement were disabled at
critical moments. These disruptions were never explained, never acknowledged,
and never resolved.
They simply appeared, caused damage, and left me to pick up the pieces. No creator should have to fight their own platform just to keep their work alive. If I, as a Black journalist in Belgium, had done anything comparable, tampering with someone’s tools, restricting their access, or causing measurable harm, I would have faced consequences.
However, when a giant
corporation does it, they hide behind “automated systems,” “updates,” and
“technical limitations.” Meanwhile, the emotional toll, the frustration, and
the lost opportunities fall entirely on the creator.
The most painful part is knowing that in Belgium, I have no
platform to challenge this injustice. As a Black man, I have learned that the
true justice system does not favor people like me. I have no attorney, no
institutional support, and no avenue to demand accountability. Google knows
this. They operate with impunity because individuals, especially minorities, lack the resources to
confront them.
However, something changed recently. After implementing technical improvements and structural corrections, I submitted the blog to another search engine, and I started gaining back my readers. The content did not change; only the visibility changed.
This proves that the suppression I endured
was not imaginary. It was structural, measurable, and harmful, and more
importantly, it confirms that the years of broken widgets, disabled tools, and
altered HTML were not harmless glitches; they were part of a larger pattern
that held me back.
This is why I believe Google should compensate me, even
though I know they won’t grant the request for this compensation matter. The
public record and my voice matter. When a corporation’s actions cause harm,
intentional or not, they should be held accountable. Even if I stand alone,
even if the justice system refuses to hear me, I will still document my truth.
This article is not a lawsuit; it is a declaration. It is my
testimony. It is my demand for recognition of the harm I endured, the
suppression, the interference, the lost years, and the emotional burden.
Whether Google ever acknowledges it is irrelevant. What matters is that I have
spoken, clearly and publicly, and now the world can judge for itself.
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