For the first time, Netflix has disclosed the movies and shows it has removed from the streaming service at the behest of governments.
The nine titles include an episode of Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj, which was pulled after Saudi Arabia filed a legal request charging that the episode “violated the kingdom’s cyber-crime laws.” (In response, Minhaj sarcastically tweeted, “Clearly, the best way to stop people from watching something is to ban it, make it trend online, and then leave it up on YouTube.”) Of the other eight, five come from Singapore alone: The Last Hangover (it’s like The Hangover but with Jesus), Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ, Cooking on High (self explanatory), pot documentary The Legend of 420, and the Kathy Bates sitcom Disjointed. Netflix also removed Full Metal Jacket in Vietnam, The Night of the Living Dead in Germany, and The Bridge (it’s this one, not the FX series) in New Zealand after it was deemed “objectionable” in the country:
“We offer creators the ability to reach audiences all around the world,” Netflix says in the 2019 Environmental Social Governance report. “In some cases we’ve also been forced to remove specific titles or episodes of titles in specific countries due to government takedown demands.” The company plans to release information on government-mandated removals on an annual basis.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to watch the Jesus hangover movie immediately.
(Via Variety)
