MySpace founder files lawsuit, accuses News Corp of 'evil behaviour'

MySpace founder Brad Greenspan isn't too happy with the censorship creeping into the social networking behemoth, so he has decided to take the matter to the US courts.

Greenspan’s lawsuit accuses the company of censoring users of the world's most popular social networking site by barring references to competing websites, including his own.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles by Greenspan’s LiveUniverse, accuses News Corp of illegally trying to create a monopoly by censoring users' blog entries that mention Greenspan's own vidiLife.com and other video, photo and social Internet sites.

Greenspan said News Corp’s censorship of MySpace was ‘evil behaviour’:

"When we started MySpace in 2003, we empowered users by giving them full control over their profile pages.”

“MySpace has flourished by partnering with users and protecting their rights to express themselves and have freedom of choice on their profile page.”

“News Corp's moves to destroy and limit the freedom MySpace users have enjoyed is analogous to the strategies a dictator would employ after seizing control of a previously free nation."

There are several examples of censorship imposed on users since News Corp bought MySpace for $580 million last year:

• In December 2005, MySpace removed links to YouTube content, though these were restored after user protests.
• Pete Cashmore over at Mashable.com reported earlier this month that MySpace was blocking Stickam.com webcam codes.

Brad Greenspan has set up a site, CensorSpace.com, and has promised to donate any money earned from litigation to anti-censorship organisations.