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Google faces Motorola phone ban

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 09 Juli 2014 | 23.58

9 July 2014 Last updated at 16:33 By Leo Kelion Technology desk editor

Motorola faces the prospect of being forced to remove its handsets from sale in Germany and to recall phones already bought by business customers.

A local court has ruled that the antennas used by the Google-owned business infringe a patent owned by a German laser specialist.

The firm, LPKF, now has the right to block the products from sale unless Google comes to some other agreement.

It told the BBC it had not yet decided how to proceed.

A German patent consultant said it was not a simple decision to make.

"If LPKF wants to enforce the action it faces economic risk," said Florian Mueller, who has previously advised Microsoft and Oracle.

"If it makes Motorola pull and recall products today, LPKF could later be liable for wrongful enforcement damages in a year or so if Motorola appeals and ultimately prevails."

Google is in the process of selling its Motorola business to the Chinese tech firm Lenovo, but the deal has yet to be completed.

"We are disappointed in the decision but Motorola has taken steps to avoid any interruption in supply," said a spokesman for the firm.

China battle

LPKF has signalled that it could also take action against other tech firms.

The German company helped pioneer a process called Laser Direct Structuring (LDS), which offers a way to create antenna patterns.

It involves using a laser beam to create microscopic pits and undercuts on plastic, to which a metal coating can then be anchored.

This can prove cheaper than other options, such as hot stamping the pattern or using injection moulding, especially when more complex 3D antenna designs are desired to help keep components small and hidden inside a device.

The German firm's LDS patent was ruled invalid last year in China, which has encouraged others to use the process without paying LPKF a licence fee. The company is in the process of appealing against the decision.

"The more attractive a patent is, the harder you have to work to defend it," said Dr Ingo Bretthauer, LPKF's chief executive.

"We will continue to fight for our patent in China and systematically take action against infringers outside China. This is part and parcel of a technology company's everyday business."


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Device check advice for any UK flight

9 July 2014 Last updated at 16:46

All passengers flying into or out of the UK are being advised to ensure electronic and electrical devices in hand luggage are sufficiently charged to be switched on.

Extra security checks came in at some UK airports last week for flights to the US, but these will now be extended.

The government says the checks apply to unspecified flights to and from the UK.

It comes after an apparent terror threat prompted the US to announce extra security checks last week.

But the Department for Transport (DfT) has now issued updated guidelines, saying: "In line with the US advice, passengers on some routes into and out of the UK may now also be required to show that electronic devices in their hand luggage are powered up or face not being allowed to bring the device onto the aircraft.

"Passengers flying into or out of the UK are therefore advised to make sure electronic devices being carried in their hand luggage are charged before they travel."

The department said that "for obvious reasons" it would not elaborate on the routes affected.

"We will work with the aviation industry to minimise disruption as far as possible," said a spokesman.

At the scene

The BBC's Lyndsey Telford at Heathrow

It's business as usual at Heathrow as countless passengers stream through security, bound for flights all over the world.

Most seem unfazed by the ramped up measures and have come prepared, with only a handful at a cafe at Terminal 3 using the wall socket charging points to give their laptops, phones and tablets that last boost of power.

Matt Bowdidge, who is flying home to Brisbane, Australia, has his gadgets and wires strewn across a table as he finishes his coffee before heading for security.

"I want to make sure it's all fully charged," he says.

"But it's no big deal. No one likes a lot of hassle when they travel, but I would rather turn on my phone and laptop for security than be blown up in the sky."

It seems this is the general consensus.

And as Vladimir Durovcik, who is flying to Vienna, said: "We're are all one civilisation and we do what we can, no matter how small, to make sure we are all safe."

'Terror organisations'

As well as mobile phones and laptops, the guidance set out by the DfT also includes a range of other electronic devices such as electrical shavers, travel irons, hairdryers, hair-straighteners and cameras or any other camera equipment.

Prime Minister David Cameron's official spokesman said the tightening of security measures at airports reflected "the fact that there are terror organisations that seek to do UK citizens, the UK and citizens of other countries harm".

Continue reading the main story
  • 20,000 fly daily from Heathrow to the US

  • 4,500 charging points at Heathrow

  • 40+ UK airports fly to international destinations

Reuters

American officials ordered some overseas airports with direct flights to the US to intensify screening of electronic devices last week.

This prompted Heathrow and Manchester airports to advise US-bound passengers to charge electronic devices to be carried as hand baggage before travelling on Monday.

British Airways said customers with uncharged devices would not be allowed to fly and would have to rebook their flights or else leave their device behind and board their flight without it.

It said these passengers will either be able to collect the device on their return or have it forwarded to another address, at the airline's expense.

Virgin Atlantic said it would also store uncharged devices for customers at the airport.

But after initially saying the cost of returning devices rested with passengers, the airline later revised its decision and said passengers would not be charged.

Meanwhile, EasyJet said it was seeking clarification from government on the new regulations and had not, so far, issued any specific instructions to passengers.

Analysis

By Richard Westcott, Transport Correspondent

The government has to keep everything deliberately vague because it doesn't want to give away any secrets to terrorists.

So we simply don't know which routes are being scrutinised, which devices they are worried about, which airports are beefing up their checks, and so on.

Instead, we've ended up with some blanket advice about US flights last week that has now been changed again today.

My understanding is that this won't cause huge queues at security. They're unlikely to check your stuff if you're on a domestic flight or you're popping to France or Spain for your holidays.

You may remember the chaos when they banned liquids in 2006; this won't be anything like that.

In the end, if you stick to this rule, you'll be fine.

If you're getting on a plane today, make sure anything with a battery has some charge in it. And carry your charger in your hand luggage just in case.

Although the DfT said "some routes" into and out of the UK would be affected, specific details have not been released.

The travel editor of the Independent newspaper, Simon Calder, said: "I think it's extremely unlikely that a charter flight from Manchester to Malaga or from Glasgow to Crete is going to be targeted by the DfT for scrutiny.

"I can see however that flights to and from places with a recent history of terrorism - and I'm thinking here of maybe Egypt, maybe Kenya - there could well be added scrutiny for those flights."

He said an average of 20,000 people travelled from the UK to the US per day but warned that the approaching summer holiday season would increase numbers.

Airport security checks: Key questions answered

What are the new restrictions on charging devices?

Airline passengers entering and leaving the UK on potentially any route must be able to prove electronic and electrical devices in their hand luggage are sufficiently charged to be switched on when they get to security.

What gadgets are included?

The general advice applies to anything "with a battery", including mobile phones, MP3 players, electrical shavers, hair-straighteners, travel irons and cameras.

What will happen if a device is not charged?

Travellers with uncharged devices face having to rebook their flight. Alternatively they may be able to charge their device, post their device or leave it at the airport.

Read more: What can you take on a plane?

'Credible' terror threat

In a written parliamentary statement, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said the country faced "a constantly evolving threat from terrorism".

He said there was no change to the UK terror threat level, which remained at "substantial".

US officials said last week they were aware of a "credible" terrorist threat, but have not linked the security changes to any specific intelligence.

Analysts have suggested the action could be a response to efforts by Islamic militants in Syria and Yemen to build bombs that evade airport security checks.

Have you been affected by security checks of your electronic devices? Are you flying in or out of the UK soon with such gadgets? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co, using the subject line 'Airport security'.


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Sniffer dog finds child abuse images

8 July 2014 Last updated at 09:36

A suspect has been arrested after a dog trained to detect electronic circuitry found a memory stick containing images of child sexual abuse hidden in a tin box inside a metal cabinet.

Rhode Island police received Thoreau from Connecticut police after the dog completed 22 weeks of training, which involved detecting gadgets for food.

The only other US gadget-sniffing dog remains stationed in Connecticut.

But some UK experts have questioned the efficacy of the training methods.

Thoreau's handler, Det Adam Houston, told the Providence Journal: "If it has a memory card, he'll sniff it out."

The food-based reward system was how the dog ate "every day", he added.

But Maggie Gwynne, of Sniffer Dogs UK & International, told the BBC this was "completely contrary" to the UK police and prison service's training methods.

"Offering a sniffer dog food in exchange for a 'find' opens the way for an abuse of the system - if its hungry enough it will take food from anybody, not just its handler and therefore defeats the object of the search," she said.

"It would be interesting to research their success rate, however.

"I don't believe this is a field that any UK police dog would be trained in, and I personally have never heard of such a thing," .

"[Sniffer dogs] are concerned with the detection of drugs, cash, firearms, explosives, and are used for conflict management and tracking criminals who have legged it, or missing and vulnerable people."

It is unclear whether the dog can distinguish between a memory stick and other electrical equipment likely to be around a suspect's house, such as TV remotes, radios and computers.

Ms Gwynne said she had no doubt dogs could be trained to locate hard drives and/or memory sticks, in the same way firearms dogs were trained to find metallic objects but the idea "that it could make a distinction as to what it has found, seems unrealistic".

In 2008, dogs Lucky and Flo, were trained to sniff out pirated DVDs, with Wired noting: "The dogs cannot decipher the difference between pirated and authentic DVDs."


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Nasa equips robots with smartphones

8 July 2014 Last updated at 12:55

Nasa plans to send Google's 3D smartphones into space to function as the "eyes and brains" of free-flying robots inside the Space Station.

The robots, known as Spheres (Synchronised Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental satellites), currently have limited capabilities.

It is hoped the smartphones, powered by Google's Project Tango, will equip the robots with more functionality.

The robots have been described by experts as "incredibly clever".

When Nasa's robots first arrived at the International Space Station in 2006, they were only capable of precise movements using small jets of CO2, which propelled the devices forwards at around an inch per second.

"We wanted to add communication, a camera, increase the processing capability, accelerometers and other sensors," Spheres project manager Chris Provencher told Reuters.

"As we were scratching our heads thinking about what to do, we realised the answer was in our hands. Let's just use smartphones."

In an attempt to make the robots smarter and of more use to astronauts, engineers at Nasa's Ames Research Centre sent cheap smartphones to the space station, which they had purchased from Best Buy, an American electronics shop.

Astronauts then attached the phones to the Spheres, giving them more visual and sensing capabilities.

Helping astronauts

Looking to further improve the robots, Nasa turned to Google's Project Tango.

Tango uses the 3D cameras embedded in Google's latest smartphones to give the handset a human-scale understanding of space and motion.

Once at the space station and attached to the Spheres, the phones will use their onboard motion-tracking cameras and infrared depth sensors to safely navigate around the ISS.

These more advanced phones will be launched into space on 11 July and are intended to replace the earlier models.

Noel Sharkey, professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at the University of Sheffield, told the BBC: "This is an incredibly clever way to unite different technologies in an unexpected way.

"It will be interesting to see how much this inspires Google to use this technology for its own robotics development following on the several world-class robot companies it has purchased in the last year."

Dr Fumiya Iida, lecturer at the department of engineering at the University of Cambridge, praised Nasa's ingenuity.

"Robots were and still are usually very expensive and complex, thus they often don't match to a cost-benefit balance. By using consumer electronics such as smartphones, we can significantly reduce down the development cost for robots with high-performance capabilities which were not possible 10 years ago."

Nasa envisions a future in which its spatially-aware Spheres can help astronauts with daily chores and risky tasks.

Dr Walterio Mayol of Bristol University's Robotics Lab told the BBC that the basic idea behind the mapping system, a technique known as Slam (simultaneous localisation and mapping), was developed substantially in the UK ten years ago.

He said that while the robots are an impressive start, they currently have no arms, which could limit their potential.

The Spheres' creators are said to have been inspired by Luke Skywalker's training droid, from the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, although it is unlikely lasers will be fitted to the device.


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Experts hack smart LED light bulbs

8 July 2014 Last updated at 13:52 By Jane Wakefield Technology reporter

Security experts have demonstrated how easy it is to hack network-enabled LED light bulbs.

Context Security released details about how it was able to hack into the wi-fi network of one brand of network-enabled bulb, and control the lights remotely.

The LIFX light bulb, which is available to buy in the UK, has network connectivity to let people turn it on and off with their smartphones.

The firm behind the bulbs has since fixed the vulnerability.

Michael Jordon, research director at Context, explained how he was able to obtain the wi-fi username and password of the household the lights were connected to.

"We bought some light bulbs and examined how they talked to each other and saw that one of the messages was about the username and password," he told the BBC.

"By posing as a new bulb joining the network we were able to get that information," he added.

"We were able to steal credentials for the wireless network, which in turn meant we could control the lights."

The LIFX project started off on crowd-funding website Kickstarter. Billing itself as the "light bulb reinvented", it brought in over 13 times its original funding target.

The master bulb receives commands from the smartphone applications and broadcasts them to all the other bulbs over a wireless mesh network.

While it had taken two experts two weeks to crack the system, the equipment they had used was cheap and readily available, said Mr Jordon.

LIFX said that it had updated its software since being notified of the vulnerability.

In a blog post, the firm said: "There was a potential security issue regarding the distribution of network configuration details on the mesh radio but no LIFX users have been affected that were are aware of.

"As always we recommend that all users stay up-to-date with the latest firmware and app updates."

Smart cities

Increasingly everyday objects are being connected to the network, a phenomenon known as the internet of things.

The number of objects that can potentially be hacked is set to rise exponentially, according to research firm Gartner.

It estimates that there will be 26.5 billion physical objects embedded with technology by 2020. It believes the industry will be worth $1.9tn (£1.1tn) by that time.

"Whereas phones and laptops have had a longer time to sort out security issues, these newer devices haven't learnt and are therefore easy gateways into hacking," said Mr Jordon.

"Security costs time and money and some manufacturers are not putting in the right level of security."

Brian McGuigan, commercial director at Silver Spring Networks, a firm providing networks for smart cities and smart lighting, said the issue of security was not limited to devices for the home as more and more of the furniture in cities was also connected to the network.

"The buyers in cities have a low understanding of security, and they need to be encouraged to leverage the security standards that have been widely used in other industries."

"The internet of things is a building block for cities but a lot of companies offering products are start-ups and under pressure to get to market quickly."


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Lift-off for British demo satellites

8 July 2014 Last updated at 21:24 By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News

Two British spacecraft, including the first satellite made in Scotland, have launched to orbit.

The pair were sent up on a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur in Kazakhstan.

TechDemoSat-1 was prepared in Guildford by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, with the assembly of UKube-1 undertaken at Clyde Space in Glasgow.

Both platforms will trial innovative components, sensors and instruments that their producers hope can go on to win future business.

TDS-1 and UKube-1 have emerged from government-backed programmes designed to spur growth in the British space sector.

Ministers have identified satellites as one of their "eight great technologies" that can help rebalance the economy.

Lift-off for the Soyuz occurred on schedule at 21:58 local time (16:58 BST).

Confirmation that the UK missions were safely in orbit came just over three hours later when signals were received from the pair.

The spacecraft were secondary payloads on the flight; its main purpose was to launch a Russian meteorological satellite, Meteor-M2.

Smart approach

TechDemoSat-1 is the bigger of the British duo at 157kg.

Among its demonstration systems is a suite of instruments to study "space weather" - the storm of charged particles, mostly from our Sun, that envelop the Earth. These particles can prove problematic - and even limit the life of - spacecraft systems. One of the instruments, LUCID, was produced by students at the Simon Langton Grammar School in Kent.

TDS-1 also carries an innovative approach to monitoring the state of the ocean surface. It works this out by looking at how GPS signals are scattered off the water.

UKube-1 is much smaller than its "English brother". The Scottish platform weighs just 3.5kg. But, again, it holds some smart technologies that their developers want to prove in orbit.

Among them is a new imaging sensor that will be used to take pictures of the planet, and a smart device that aims to generate random numbers by detecting impacts from space particles. Such a device might in the future form the basis of much more secure satellite communications.

Public funding for TDS-1 - about £7m - has come in large part from the government's Technology Strategy Board. This investment was matched by SSTL itself.

The UKube-1 project has been administered by the UK Space Agency. Its public funding amounted to about £1m.

Again, Clyde Space put its own cash behind the venture as well, and already this is paying dividends.

"This has been important for the development of our company," said sales manager Robin Sampson. "This has helped us mature into a complete satellite platform provider.

"Previously, we've tended to supply mainly spacecraft sub-systems, but this will be the first time we've put an entire satellite together to go into orbit. And already we've got more platform orders on our books," he told BBC News.

'Like buses'

The intention is that UKube becomes a repeat programme. There should soon be an announcement on a UKube-2.

SSTL hopes the same will be true for TechDemoSat.

"A lot of people want to see TDS-1 work first, but we will continue to push for an ongoing programme," said the company's Doug Liddle.

"If you could guarantee a series of launches, it would be an extremely powerful tool for R&D and British industry.

"If it were like a timetable, like catching a bus, you could plan your developments much better. It's been shown to work for academia, for research programmes, and for commercial operators.

"To have that for demonstration satellites as a national capability would be a fantastic thing."

Included in the seven missions on Tuesday's Soyuz flight was SkySat-2 - the second Earth observer for California's Skybox Imaging. The company, which is making snatches of video of the Earth's surface, hit the headlines last month when it was purchased by Google for $500m.

One satellite that was not sent up was M3M. This Canadian platform was pulled from the manifest in April by the North American country's government amid the row over Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos


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Brazil defeat breaks Twitter records

9 July 2014 Last updated at 10:50

Germany's 7-1 victory over Brazil in the World Cup semi-finals has become the most discussed sports game on Twitter so far.

A record 35.6 million tweets were sent during the 90-minute game.

It also broke the tweets-per-minute record, when the fifth goal triggered 580,601 in one minute.

Six of the 10 top-trending topics on Twitter were references to the match, with #BrazilvsGermany taking the top spot.

Miroslav Klose was the most tweeted German player, followed by midfielder Toni Kroos. Julio Cesar, Oscar and Fred were the most tweeted Brazilian players.

The previous record for a sporting event on Twitter was held by another World Cup match, Brazil v Chile, which recorded 389,000 tweets per minute.

Previous to that the 2014 Superbowl held the record, with 382,000 tweets per minute.

Photoshop overdrive

Many of the tweets took a wry look at the routing of Brazil, with some pointing out that Germany were scoring faster than they could type 140 characters.

Tumblr pages dedicated to "sad Brazilians" sprang up during the game. Some faked images purporting to show Brazilians rioting were also posted.

There were also plenty of Photoshopped images doing the rounds.

Pictures of Rio de Janeiro's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue crying and taking off into space were popular, as were images of people drinking 7Up.

A mock-up of Germany's goalkeeper sitting down and reading a book gained thousands of retweets.


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Apple loses Siri China patent case

9 July 2014 Last updated at 11:44

Apple has failed in its attempt to get a Chinese company's voice-recognition patent ruled invalid.

The verdict threatens Apple's ability to offer its voice-controlled virtual assistant, Siri, in the country.

Shanghai-based Zhizhen Network Technology has sought to block Apple from selling products with the app installed, saying it infringed its rights.

Apple said it would pursue an appeal with the Beijing Higher People's Court.

"Apple believes deeply in protecting innovation, and we take intellectual property rights very seriously," said a spokesman.

"Apple created Siri to provide customers with their own personal assistant by using their voice.

"Unfortunately, we were not aware of Zhizhen's patent before we introduced Siri, and we do not believe we are using this patent.

"While a separate court considers this question, we remain open to reasonable discussions with Zhizhen."

The Chinese company could not be reached for comment.

Chinese app

Zhizhen offers its own voice-controlled service, named Xiao i Robot, which began life, in 2003, as a text-based chatbot that ran on others' instant-messaging tools.

It later evolved into call-centre software used by the Chinese government and several companies.

In addition, Zhizhen developed voice-controlled software for smart TVs, cars and smartphones - including an iPhone app that allows users to find restaurants, train times and stock prices.

In June 2012, Zhizhen accused Apple of intellectual property infringement after the US company announced at its developers' conference that Mandarin and Cantonese were being added to the list of Siri's supported languages.

Zhizhen noted that it had filed for the intellectual rights to the underlying technology in 2004 and had been granted the patent two years later.

Apple countered that Siri used a different process to power its voice-recognition tech - a court has yet to rule on this claim.

Apple also sought to block the case by asking China's State Intellectual Property Office to invalidate the patent, but was refused.

It then challenged that decision, suing both the patent authority and Zhizhen - but was thwarted on Tuesday when Beijing's Number One Intermediate People's Court ruled against it.

The China Mobile Internet Industry Alliance previously told the Xinhua news agency that it did not believe the case would result in Apple pulling its products from China, but added that the US company might have to seek a financial settlement.


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LG unveils child-tracking tech

9 July 2014 Last updated at 14:44 By Leo Kelion Technology desk editor

LG has announced a wrist-worn device designed to let parents keep track of where their child is and listen to what they are up to.

The Kizon uses GPS and wi-fi signals to identify the wearer's location and sends the information to an Android app.

LG is targeting the device at families with pre-school and primary school children.

However, others have raised concerns about the idea.

"A parent should never solely rely on a device alone. This will only give a false sense of security," said Peter Bradley, director of services at the charity Kidscape.

"Children still need to be taught about dangers - particularly 'stranger danger'."

"There are ethical points to consider too - should a child be able to be traced as part of going about their daily lives? How can a child develop their own coping strategies knowing a parent is watching over them?"

Privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch has also called for more details to be made available.

"Parents must be aware that any technology with location tracking and mobile phone services come with added security concerns, which are only heightened when the user is a child," said acting director Emma Carr.

"The companies developing the products must be explicitly clear what they are doing to enhance the security around the data collected to ensure that it is only the parents who will ever have access to the child's location and contact details."

A spokeswoman from LG was unable to discuss the issues raised.

The South Korean firm is not the first to market such a device - start-ups including KMS Solutions, Tinitell and Filip have announced similar products - however, LG's launch marks the entry of a major tech company into the sector.

Even so, one industry watcher suggested the design of the Kizon could limit its appeal.

"If the wristband looks like a bulky Star Trek machine, it will be a deterrent against adoption - that's true of all wearable devices - the aesthetics are very important," said Saverio Romeo from the Beecham Research consultancy.

"In this specific case you would want something that's not too obtrusive."

Connected children

LG says the Kizon can run for up to 36 hours between charges, is water resistant and works with 2G and 3G cellular networks.

The wearer can call a pre-configured phone number by pressing a button on its front.

The button also allows the child to accept calls from approved numbers, and if they fail to press it within 10 seconds the device will automatically let the caller listen in to the machine's built-in microphone.

"New technology has a way of throwing up parenting conundrums that get right to the heart of the line between being responsible for your children and invading their privacy," the Mumsnet blogging network's founder, Justine Roberts, told the BBC.

"Some parents may want to know the precise location of their children, but most will probably remain happy to yell across the playground or send a text.

"The key thing is to establish good lines of communication with your children, and let them feel that they can talk to you about any tricky situations they find themselves in."

LG said it planned to launch the device in South Korea this week, and introduce it to Europe and North America before the end of September.


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Website told to censor album covers

By Chris Hemmings Newsbeat reporter

9 July 2014 Last updated at 16:54

The censored version of OH (Ohio) by Lambchop
Lambchop's album OH (Ohio) is one that has had to be pixelated

Google has ordered an online music magazine to censor some of the album covers on its website because they are "sexually explicit".

Drowned in Sound, an award-winning website, was told that it couldn't show the images next to anything on Google's advertising network.

Sean Adams, founder of Drowned in Sound, said some of things Google asked to be removed were "ridiculous".

He said it included a picture of someone "in his pants".

"Google said if we didn't comply by Friday they'd pull all of their advertising," he told Newsbeat.

"As a small music magazine we can't lose that revenue."

All our audience are over 20 and come to our site to read record reviews. These are just album covers
Sean Adams, Founder of Drowned in Sound

Drowned in Sound relies on Google ads for about 20% of its income and 40% of its traffic comes from Google searches.

Adams says he was contacted by his ad agency which told him Google had requested eight pages had to be removed or censored.

According the the agency, Drowned in Sound is not the only website which has had similar requests and that it only started happening recently.

Adams asked his Twitter followers to help him edit the images as he said he couldn't afford "to pick a fight" with the search engine.

Sigur Ros' album - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
This album cover by Sigur Ros is one Google asked to be censored

The search engine is trying to distance itself from pornography and recently told advertisers it wouldn't accept adverts "that promote graphic depictions of sexual acts".

But Adams says the album covers that he was forced to take down weren't pornographic.

"These are album covers, it's a musician's expression of their art," he said.

But he did concede that a couple of Google's recommendations were fair.

"We've censored all the images they asked us too, but I'm sure there'll be more of these in the future," he said.

One of the albums that Google asked to be censored was by Sigur Ros, which features four people's bottoms.

Adams says the irony is that uncensored versions can still be seen on Google Play (its online store) and YouTube, which is owned by the company.

Google won't comment on any individual case, but did say in a statement: "Our policies make clear that we will not serve ads to websites with adult or mature content."

However, Adams says his site and others like it still feature pictures containing nudity that Google hasn't complained about.

Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube


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