Murdoch slams 'pirates' google

The issue of online piracy has pitted Rupert Murdoch in a war of words against the White House and Google. The head of News Corporation wrote a series of tweets during the weekend accusing the Obama administration of bowing to "Silicon Valley paymasters" because the White House had expressed concerns about the Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa).

He also accused Google of being "a piracy leader" because illegal streaming services could still be found through the search engine. Yesterday, Google hit back, branding the accusations "nonsense" and insisting that it fought pirates "every day".

Mr Murdoch has been a key supporter of Sopa, which he believes is needed to stop the counterfeiting of television shows and films made by his Fox network.