Piracy Sites Demoted, Removed By Google, Bing Search Engines Under UK Code Of Practice

Google and Microsoft are taking the next step to demote popular piracy sites from their search engines. The two companies have signed the UK government's Voluntary Code of Practice, where the search engines will demote sites that infringe on copyrights, including illegal download sites.

This is the first agreement to specify search engines or internet sites taking active part in discouraging illegal downloads or streaming. According to CNBC, Microsoft's Bing and Google agreed to stop ranking illegal download or piracy sites last Monday. Jo Johnson, U.K. minister of state for universities, science, research and innovation, emphasized the need for websites to make sure that internet users see more links to legitimate websites.

In order to fulfill their agreement, Google and Bing are asking original copyright owners to send reports of links to piracy sites they want removed. The two search engines have already begun the purge. Google has removed 915 million links while Bing has taken off 91 million links by request.

Matt Hancock, the UK's minister for digital and culture, said that internet websites and search engines are taking steps to ensure internet transparency. He said that the agreement will make sure that piracy sites don't rob artists and original owners of their hard-earned income. Engadget reported that the code already put in place common anti-piracy mechanisms like written warnings and site blocks.

Torrents and illegal download sites are notorious for evading the law by putting up multiple piracy sites and domain names. When one gets shut down, another one grows in its place. The search engines will play a huge part in making sure that those who want to illegally download or pirate something will find a hard time finding such sites.

This agreement will also give way to more legal sites that often get lost in the noise of piracy sites. Many users will be surprised to find that there are websites where they can legally listen to music or watch a TV show. They can also sign up to Netflix or other subscription channels to watch a movie or TV series.