© 2007 The Associated Press
(Photo: Uwe Lein)
A group of Google executive and lawyers face criminal prosecution in Italy on charges of violating Italian privacy laws. The dispute is over a video that shows teenagers making fun of a boy with Downs syndrome. According to Italian prosecutors, Google’s executives and lawyers took two months to remove the video. However Google officials say they removed the video immediately once they heard the complaint.
The Google executives and lawyers told Privacy Advisor they did not post video yet they are still the party being prosecuted. The company also does not monitor the content that is uploaded to Google video. According to the Privacy Advisor article, in Italy the internet content provider is legally responsible for what a third party posts, but in the US because of the Communications Decency Action, Section two thirty the service provider is not be liable.
Google Executives and lawyers compare the issue to mail service employees brought to court for hate speech letters sent in. They see the prosecution as a “direct attack on free, open Internet”.
If guilty the Google executives could face up to three years in jail.
• Because Google is an American Company should Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act apply…that the Internet content provider is not legally responsible for what the third party posts?
• Does this infringe upon First Amendment Rights in America or Free Expression Rights if you’re in Italy?
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