In recent weeks, Google has made much of its problems with China. But it turns out the company has a much bigger problem with Italy.
In what Google called an “astonishing decision,” an Italian court convicted three Google executives of privacy invasion for a 2006 video of Italian teenagers taunting and abusing a boy with Downs syndrome. They were acquitted of defamation charges.
The court sentenced Google Chief Legal Officer David Drummond, Chief Privacy Counsel Peter Fleischer, and former CFO George Reyes to six-month suspended terms. A fourth defendant, Arvind Desikan, was acquitted on all charges.
Appeal Promised
Google reacted angrily to the news. In a blog post, Matt Sucherman, a vice president and deputy general counsel for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, wrote, “To be clear, none of the four Googlers charged had anything to do with this video. They did not appear in it, film it, upload it, or review it. None of them know the people involved or were even aware of the video’s existence until after it was removed.”
“In essence this ruling means that employees of hosting platforms like Google Video are criminally responsible for content that users upload,” Sucherman said in announcing the company will appeal the 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,” Sucherman added.
Safe Harbors Closing?
In the larger picture, though, the conviction is troubling for reasons that cut to the heart of Google’s business. “It attacks the very principles of freedom on which the Internet is built,” Sucherman said. “Common sense dictates that only the person who films and uploads a video to a hosting platform could take the steps necessary to protect…