Google app (Intra) tested in Venezuela takes swipe at press censors

Google has unveiled a tool meant to help fight press censorship around the world, testing it first in Venezuela, where journalists say they’re battling a government bent on burying online stories that expose corruption and human rights abuses. News junkies in Venezuela clicking on links to independent websites have been frustrated in recent years by messages on their screens saying the pages don’t exist – a problem most blame on government moves to block access to critical information. “It’s very hard to get news to the people,” said Melanio Escobar, a Venezuelan journalist and social activist who tested the Intra app on Google’s behalf before it was launched this month. “We promote this and other tools, but it’s not easy.” More…