That is more than double the variety of links it processed during the exact same period this past year, and over 300 times more requests than in 2012. Why the dramatic increase? As Torrent Freak points out clearly, the quantity of pirated content has grown exponentially online. At exactly the same time, the MPAA, RIAA and other copyright-holders are now using algorithms that see pirated content (often wrong) and mechanically file takedown notices to Google.

Google has stated the system is working as intended, but nobody is happy about it. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) successfully sued Universal Studios to induce copyright owners to contemplate valid “fair use” of content more attentively. At exactly the same time, copyright holders believe that infringing plagiarist websites should have their domain names delisted from Google search entirely, something that Mountain View firmly opposes.