alexander Posted February 24, 2010 Report Share Posted February 24, 2010 http://thenextweb.com/eu/2010/02/24/google-executives-convicted-italy-handicapped-teenager-video-google-furious/ That is just so ridiculous, at least to me, being a computer person, Eastern European Socialism at its best... Anyways, i figured someone may side with the Italians on this, and don't attack, and don't expect to be attacked, i wont let that happen, but i want to know how you can see/reason the other side on this one? Especially enough to convict 3-4 executives. I just don't see how one can reason to such a decision, and i'm curious. Thought:I say Google should DOS Italy for a week, show them what the dark ages used to feel like, and make Italian judicial system apologize for being ignorant, and perhaps negotiate the renaming of Rome to Gcity... DougF 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moontanman Posted February 24, 2010 Report Share Posted February 24, 2010 That is simply crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougF Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 Thats just not right, I guess they were thinking that it should have been pulled sooner? but thats reaching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeztar Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 “None of these four people had anything to do with the video. They didn’t film it, they didn’t upload it, they didn’t review it. Nonetheless they were held criminally responsible,” Echickson told reporters “If we are responsible for each vetting, each photo, each video, each posting … then the web as we know it will cease to exist … and the technical benefits will disappear,” Echikson said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geko Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 Italian law says content providers are responsible for content, and since videos uploaded to google are authorised, they're responsible for it. I guess the privacy violation comes from 'the subject' (the handicapped guy), not being informed and consenting, so once again google are held responsible, but who knows... Personally i think it's daft... i'm sure there's a saying about law somewhere that would be fitting here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawcat Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 The key langauge there is: Due to their delay in action, Milan Judge Oscar Magi ruled that David Drummond, Google’s senior vice president of corporate development, and Peter Fleischer, global privacy counsel, as well as George Reyes, a former chief financial officer, were guilty of the privacy violation charge. Thus, they were not convicted for posting it or allowing it, but for delay in responding once they had knowledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougF Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 Yes, that is what I thought, Due to their delay in action' date='[/size'] But then the question comes to mind, how long is too long??? before you get put in jail? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexander Posted February 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 point is that google pulled it, it's not up to a content provider to have to follow all of their content and make sure that none of it is involved in any disputes in any country of the world, that would be stupendous, if they finally caught up after a ruckus, and noone made a formal request to get the content pulled, i say it's the responsibility of the governing body to make an inquiry for an action. You have a picture in the window of your art gallery, that depicts jewish people being killed in a german concentration camp, and i don't like it or feel that it's offensive, i shouldn't be able to imprison you, the gallery owner, especially if you have removed the picture a month later by yourself, for content that was posted by the exhibitor that was drawn by an artist that i don't agree with, especially if i didn't make any inquiry to have the picture removed... Google doesn't provide content (other then obviously their own google content), they provide a media for people to share content, they merely host the content and make it available... And do you know how many videos like that are on google/youtube? There are 195 counties, 3500 cities with over 10000 people, hundreds of thousands of communities, thousands of news and information centers to consider here, not all of them are in the information technology field... nobody would provide content if they were required to act on any little ruckus in any one of those that could come up with the content they host, its ridiculous to expect them to. Do i think that its right to do what was in the content, no, but should the executives of google be responsible for all/any of it, uuuh, don't be ridiculous; and they DID act.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawcat Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 Yes, that is what I thought, But then the question comes to mind, how long is too long??? before you get put in jail? I know. I did not read the article carefully to see whether there is a statutory period after one has notice to remove it. Usually there would be a statutory period, especially in European countries. But, this case could also set a precedence for how long before it becomes a crime. Do i think that its right to do what was in the content, no, but should the executives of google be responsible for all/any of it, uuuh, don't be ridiculous; and they DID act.... Content can be news but can not violate privacy laws, apparently. So not all content is valid news. This obviously was not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexander Posted February 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 There was no word in the article that there was any formal inquiry to have the content removed... If they didn't act on a formal inquiry in 2 months, then, i agree with the decision, but if the inquiry was never made and they just "assumed" that google will see the news and act accordingly, then they have no case! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawcat Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 There was no word in the article that there was any formal inquiry to have the content removed... If they didn't act on a formal inquiry in 2 months, then, i agree with the decision, but if the inquiry was never made and they just "assumed" that google will see the news and act accordingly, then they have no case! We don't know the details. I agree that it's too harsh. But two things to keep in mind. Google makes money of off stuff like this. It's what drives the hits--sensationalism. Also, Itally like many other European countries, have a different stance towards corporations and civil laws. One is that corporate exeucutives have more responsibility to society than in U.S. where corporations are generally shielded and remedy is in civil suits for money. And in Europe the line between civil and criminal is not so distinct. Many acts that are subject t ocivil penatlies in English countries are criminal in other European countries because of the nature of citizen's duty to society. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexander Posted February 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 like i said, eastern european socialism at its best... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maikeru Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 This is nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanctus Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 "Welcome" to Italy ;-) Does it really surprise you from a country with such a president? It is nuts, but I can't say I am surprised/shocked... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theory5 Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 We don't know the details. I agree that it's too harsh. But two things to keep in mind. Google makes money of off stuff like this. It's what drives the hits--sensationalism. Also, Itally like many other European countries, have a different stance towards corporations and civil laws. One is that corporate exeucutives have more responsibility to society than in U.S. where corporations are generally shielded and remedy is in civil suits for money. And in Europe the line between civil and criminal is not so distinct. Many acts that are subject to civil penatlies in English countries are criminal in other European countries because of the nature of citizen's duty to society. I agree with the European stance on Corporations and civil laws, but this is rediculous. With the thousands of videos being uploaded every day, and the millions that are already on there, its impossible to even try to police. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedars Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 Thought:I say Google should DOS Italy for a week, show them what the dark ages used to feel like, and make Italian judicial system apologize for being ignorant, and perhaps negotiate the renaming of Rome to Gcity... I dont agree with the court ruling but Italy does not have the same freedom of expression that the US does. I also have seen videos/pics on the net which I felt further victimized someone or their family. An example would be when some police in Cal sent emails of a dead girl killed in a car crash to friends, and these horrific pics ended up floating around the internet. Now back to google. I find it hard to have sympathy for a company, who in 2006, worked closely with the Chinese government to censor info and continued this arrangement until finally fed up with hack attempts. The reality is Google cares little for 'freedom of speech' and has no quarrels with self censorship. It is all about sales. BBC NEWS | Technology | Google censors itself for China Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanctus Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 Cedars, I am skeptic that Italy or in general Europe has less freedom of speech than the US, thinking about the patriot-act (or what it is called, don't remember) making it legal that your phone conversations are wiretapped only because once you said something not clear about terrorism...but ok, this is matter for another thread... But then I admit that this specific example of the OP seems to indicate that you are right... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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