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Google: We Will Show ‘The Interview’ Starting Today Because We ‘Can’t Allow A Handful Of People To Determine The Limits Of Free Speech

Nuclear Explosion Larry Page
Nuclear Explosion Larry Page

Getty Images/Justin Sullivan

Google just released an official statement saying it’s going to help Sony and run “The Interview” on YouTube and Google Play. The movie can be purchased or rented.

Google says Sony first reached out last Wednesday, and it was tempting to hope someone else would volunteer to run Sony’s controversial comedy flick. Ultimately Google decided it “could not sit on the sidelines and allow a handful of people to determine the limits of free speech in another country.”

Here’s the memo, posted by David Drummond, SVP Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer at Google.

Last Wednesday Sony began contacting a number of companies, including Google, to ask if we’d be able to make their movie, “The Interview,” available online. We’d had a similar thought and were eager to help—though given everything that’s happened, the security implications were very much at the front of our minds.

Of course it was tempting to hope that something else would happen to ensure this movie saw the light of day. But after discussing all the issues, Sony and Google agreed that we could not sit on the sidelines and allow a handful of people to determine the limits of free speech in another country (however silly the content might be).

So starting at 10 a.m. PST in the U.S., you can rent or buy “The Interview” on Google Play and YouTube Movies. It will also be available to Xbox Video customers and via www.seetheinterview.com.

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