Four Google Officials Facing Charges In Italy For Errant Video

mikesd81 writes to tell us that four Google employees may be facing charges of defamation and failure to control personal data simply because they didn't remove a video of a boy with Down's Syndrome being harassed and eventually hit over the head with a box of tissue, from Google Video. The video was posted in September of 2006 and was removed by Google within a day of receiving the initial complaints, but apparently that isn't fast enough. "Google maintains charges against the employees are unwarranted, Pancini said. Europe's E-commerce Directive exempts service providers from prescreening content before it is publicly posted, he said. Also, the video was technically uploaded to a Google server in the US, not in Italy, Pancini said. 'It was a terrible video,' Pancini said, adding that Google is concerned about the case's impact on censorship on the Internet. The defendants include David C. Drummond, a Google senior vice president, corporate development and chief legal officer. Pancini said Drummond did paperwork to create Google Italy, but has never lived in the country."

Long Italian tradition of standing up for the weak

[elrous0]

Sometimes Youtube is like some sort of arena where the weak are abused for the mere amusement of the masses. And of course, Italians would never put up with such a vile spectacle!

Italy, eh?

[girlintraining]

That's a bit machiavellian of them.

Re:Prosecutors in Italy are stupid...

[plague3106]

Well, thank god that never happens in the USA!

Re:Long Italian tradition of standing up for the w

[Anonymous Coward]

Too soon.

Re:no boarders

[$RANDOMLUSER]

No. Borders are the things on <TABLE>s and <TD>s.

Re:Anyone else getting sick and tired of "advocacy

[russotto]

I swear, it needs to become harder for people to form not-for-profit corporations and become "advocates" and activists. Too often such groups are good for nothing other than raising a stink over nothing, suing others, acting in petty, partisan ways, etc.

Why don't you found a 501(c)(3) corporation to work for the banning of such groups?

Re:no boarders

[LandDolphin]

Glad to know that it provided you enjoyment. (See my sig)

Re:Long Italian tradition of standing up for the w

[Facegarden]

Now that's funny - why'd you go and post as AC?

Sorry i was in a hurry and i wasn't logged in...

Just kidding, i didn't post that. Hah. Or did i? Really i just wanted to ensure that if someone stepped up to the plate after this, it would be sufficiently confusing that one could never know if they were really the OP! Hah! Oh god, i need a life...
-Taylor

Re:Long Italian tradition of standing up for the w

[frosty_tsm]

(treading carefully not to invoke Godwin's Law)

Maybe they are trying to distance themselves from past mistakes and be better as the Germans have done.

Re:no boarders

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

You know you've always wanted an internet where IP law is handled by the Americans, politically controversial material by the Germans, porn by the Iranians, and dissidents by the Chinese.

No, wait, never mind. That's hell I'm talking about.

Re:no boarders

[Plutonite]

Somewhere in hell, in some dark corner of a particularly nasty pit, there is a small chair with your UID carved on it. Freaks.

Re:Long Italian tradition of standing up for the w

[Ihmhi]

And probably Italy, too.

Re:Anyone else getting sick and tired of "advocacy

[ScrewMaster]

I swear, it needs to become harder for people to form not-for-profit corporations and become "advocates" and activists. Too often such groups are good for nothing other than raising a stink over nothing, suing others, acting in petty, partisan ways, etc.

Why don't you found a 501(c)(3) corporation to work for the banning of such groups?

Nah. Too much work.