Internet giant Google on Tuesday rebuffed Sen. Joe Lieberman’s (I-Conn.) request to remove Internet video content produced by terrorist organizations, claiming the action would stifle the “free speech” the Google-owned site YouTube encourages.
On its blog, the company said that while it “respects his views,” it disagrees with Lieberman “about the details of our policies.”

“YouTube encourages free speech and defends everyone’s right to express unpopular points of view,” the company replied. “We believe that YouTube is a richer and more relevant platform for users precisely because it hosts a diverse range of views, and rather than stifle debate we allow our users to view all acceptable content and make up their own minds.”

In a letter Lieberman sent Monday, he asked Google to “immediately remove content produced by Islamist terrorist organizations from YouTube.”