Google Executives Convicted for Bullying Video
Several Google executives have been convicted of violating Italian privacy laws.
This story goes back pretty far, so you're forgiven if you've forgotten some of the details. In 2006, a video was uploaded to the now obsolete video sharing site, Google Video. Filmed by a group of teenage boys, the video showed the youths teasing an autistic classmate. The clip remained online for two months until Google was notified of its presence by Italian police. The video was removed within 24 hours.
However, despite Google's timely removal of the clip, advocacy groups claimed the video should never have been posted to the site at all. As you can imagine, Google wasn't impressed. The search engine's cooperation led to the boys involved being punished; Google had worked with local police to help identify the person responsible for uploading it and she was subsequently sentenced to 10 months community service by a court in Turin, as were several other classmates who were also involved. How could Google be at fault here? Advocacy groups claimed that in allowing it to appear online, Google violated the autistic boy’s privacy. A local prosecutor indicted four Google executives for criminal defamation and a failure to comply with the Italian privacy code. None of the execs charged had anything to do with the video. They did not appear in it, film it, upload it or review it, but still, they were on trial.
The executives were named as David Carl Drummond, head of Google Italy's managing board; George De Los Reyes, a board member; Peter Fleitcher, in charge of privacy protection in Europe; and Arvind Desikan, head of videos for Europe stood trial in Milan, Italy on charges of criminal defamation and violation of privacy.
Fast forward a few years and several delays, to a trial that took place last week in Milan. Three of the four executives were convicted.
Judge Oscar Magi cleared David Drummond, Peter Fleischer and George Reyes of criminal defamation but convicted all three for failure to comply with the Italian privacy code.
Google has said it will appeal the decision.
"We will appeal this astonishing decision because the Google employees on trial had nothing to do with the video in question. Throughout this long process, they have displayed admirable grace and fortitude. It is outrageous that they have been subjected to a trial at all."
However, Google is not just doing this for the employees involved. The search engine has said on previous occasions that seeking to hold neutral platforms liable for content posted on them is a direct attack on a free, open Internet.
A post discussing the ruling on the Google blog declares:
It attacks the very principles of freedom on which the Internet is built. Common sense dictates that only the person who films and uploads a video to a hosting platform could take the steps necessary to protect the privacy and obtain the consent of the people they are filming. European Union law was drafted specifically to give hosting providers a safe harbor from liability so long as they remove illegal content once they are notified of its existence. The belief, rightly in our opinion, was that a notice and take down regime of this kind would help creativity flourish and support free speech while protecting personal privacy. If that principle is swept aside and sites like Blogger, YouTube and indeed every social network and any community bulletin board, are held responsible for vetting every single piece of content that is uploaded to them — every piece of text, every photo, every file, every video — then the Web as we know it will cease to exist, and many of the economic, social, political and technological benefits it brings could disappear.
Read the full post here.
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Wow... I can't believe they were convicted! Absolutely absurd.
So, without it being uploaded the crime wouldn't have been discovered and Google went out of it's way to co-operate and help bring about a conviction. Their reward for this is they are sentenced?
That the clip shouldn't have been made live is true - but Google cannot check every clip before it goes up, it's just not possible. That a mistake was dealt with effectively and the right result was made in the end surely justifies any claim that mistakes were made, but intentions were good and all possible actions to rectify the mistake were undertaken.
Stupid, maybe the Google execs pissed off Berlesconi or something...
While they're at it, they should convict the execs at Intel and AMD because they make the CPUs that power the computers that let people upload and download the video. And then sue the people who made the camera because it lacked privacy safeguards.
1. They didn't even know about the video.
2. They can't possible check every video on google themselves
3. Damn, look at all the bullshit on youtube. If this effects google
who's next?
4. it's bullshit
solution- Appeal,then no more google for italy.
Stupid, maybe the Google execs pissed off Berlesconi or something...
I wonder if the fact that Google stock is somewhere north of $500 made it easier to convict them.
While they're at it, they should convict the execs at Intel and AMD because they make the CPUs that power the computers that let people upload and download the video. And then sue the people who made the camera because it lacked privacy safeguards.
Tom's Hardware should get sued too! (For violating the privacy of the autistic boy's privacy getting violated)
Stupid world.
What is this world coming to?
In other news.. Judge Oscar Magi admits he is an Apple Fan boy.
LoL, I saw a comment in engadget.com about the same news:
"In italy we have a big problem with justice. Google is financially negative for our prime minister, which holds also 90% of the advertisement market.
He's defending his business, from an advantage point.
Plus yesterday they caught a guy from his party laundering 2 billions euro of drug money for the mafia. He has to divert attention."
Apparently there are legal system even more ridiculous than the American one. I never would have expected that. Pretty sure this would have been tossed out in minutes even here.
Anyone know if there's anything we can do about this, somewhere we can send letters, etc?
You know, this is where it's probably a good thing I don't work at Google, what with the whole "Don't be evil" thing and all, because I'm sure, in their vast hoard of information, they have personal details on Judge Oscar Magi. Wonder what would happen if things like his address and phone number just happened to end up on, I don't know, some place like 4chan?
This is absolutely absurd. Many of the previous comments are correct: where does it end? Should the ISP of the viewers be sued? Should the manufacturer of the camera be sued? If this is a punishable offense, why aren't gun makers held accountable to deaths caused by their weapons? Why isn't McDonalds sued for every child it makes obese? Because its the choice of the people who use their products on how the use them! I'm all for privacy, but the guilty party here is the people who made and posted the video. I'm with Google on this one.
Cut Italy off from the Internet for a week. Show them what this level of stupidity brings.
Cut Italy off from the Internet for a week. Show them what this level of stupidity brings.
OK Hitler!
The focus should be victims of such abuse and those who perpetrate these and other similar acts. I guess the Italian officials think that Google execs spend their days filtering videos?
wow...
who the F are these 'advocacy groups'?
can i start an advocacy group against their 'advocacy groups'?
I am surpised by the entire situation. I wonder what is in the Italian Privacy Law that could possibly trigger judicial action. What exactly is the privacy issue? Is there some fine print in the law that applies to this situation? Does it apply to companies and their officers?
Cut Italy off from the Internet for a week. Show them what this level of stupidity brings.
now now...let's play nice and use the beloved 3-strike rule for italy instead
Cut Italy off from the Internet for a week. Show them what this level of stupidity brings.
THIS is exactly what Steve Jobs would do. NO IPOD(or soup) FOR YOU!!
Its a sad day when someone finds it funny to be abusive to a person who is different whether they have a disability or are just by appearance different. What is worse is the fact that three men can be held accountable by the laws of a country who finds it their place to police a FREE medium like the internet. Here is the real issue. Most of Europe and Asia continues to be jerks to Google because Google is American. They wish they thought of it first.
This is the same court that convicted and sentenced Amanda Knox for 26yrs. A conviction based no discernible physical evidence, motive, with a man already convicted of the actual murder of Meredith Kercher over an alleged sex game. There is contradiction between the weakness of the proof and the gravity of the crime. The only thread of evidence the Italian government has Prosecutors said small traces of DNA matching Kercher's were found on the blade of a knife, washed with bleach, at Sollecito's home. The defense said the knife did not match Kercher's wounds and questioned the DNA evidence. That's it nothing else no motive, no blood spatter, no other alleged DNA, no nothing.
Yeah I can believe the Google executives were convicted!
Isn't this the same as a man hanging a provocative poster of his ex-girlfriend on the side of a building that violated her privacy.
Would the owner of the building be guilty even if they removed it as soon as they found out about it? Or did Google not forbid such posts in their terms of use? It is not like their terms of use condone such behavior, right? Is everybody going to be responsible/liable for graffiti that someone else does?
I'd love to see some advocate hacker post porn or pictures of someone on the Italian Governments website and have them be held accountable by their own laws.
Ok, so by the very same methodology that the prosecuters put the executives on trial, the prosecuters could be put on trial for interfering with my right to purchase goods and services and purvey them.
If a neutral platform can be held responsible for what others upload, even when its against that platform's terms of use, then where does it stop? Is the automaker liable for a drunk running over bystanders? Was the tire maker responsible for the car being able to move at all?
Stupidity knows no bounds.
Now sue the news stations for their brazen broadcasting of grotesque crimes! /s
"Most of Europe and Asia continues to be jerks to Google because Google is American."
Please, how on earth did you end up with this news piece somehow being confirmation of a global attack on US integrity?
I can't speak for everyone in Europe and Asia, obviously, but my own experiences leads me to believe that very few people think of Google as a US company. Or would somehow hold it against them if they did for that matter.
It's _Google_ for fecks sake!
This news piece is a tragedy in many ways but lets at least stay away from the more far-fetched conspiracy theories. It's Italy after all, the verdict being rooted in political corruption and abuse of power seems far more believable.
I wonder if the fact that Google stock is somewhere north of $500 made it easier to convict them.
Of course it did it has everything to do with that. And they will do it all in the name of the downtrodden while lining their pockets with the fines they levee.
Welcome to the People's Republic of Italy.
Welcome to the People's Republic of Italy...wait, I don't think even the PRC or NorthKoreans would be this stupid.
Finally! Some justice...Batman would be proud.
Nucking Futs