Concern has been expressed among internet experts following Google’s conviction for abusing the privacy of an autistic teenager who was the subject of a bullying attack which was posted on its video channel.
Google itself said it was “outraged” by the ruling, which resulted in three of its employees receiving six-month suspended prison sentences. A fourth defendant was acquitted.
The trio were convicted of violating the privacy of the subject of the video, but acquitted of charges of defamation.
Commentators have been left concerned that the ruling could set a precedent meaning that website owners are responsible for every piece of content posted on their sites, leaving them facing a massive task of policing everything they publish, including material innocently distributed from third parties.
David Drummond, Google’s chief legal officer and one of those convicted, said: “I intend to vigorously appeal this dangerous ruling. It sets a chilling precedent.”
“If individuals like myself and my Google colleagues who had nothing to do with the harassing incident, its filming or its uploading onto Google Video can be held criminally liable solely by virtue of our position at Google, every employee of any internet hosting service faces similar liability,” he added.
Richard Thomas, the UK’s former information commissioner and consultant to privacy law firm Hunton & Williams, said the case was “ridiculous”.
“It is like prosecuting the post office for hate mail that is sent in the post,” he told BBC News.
“I find it worrying that the chief privacy officer who had nothing to do with the video has been found guilty. It is unrealistic to expect firms to monitor everything that goes online.”
Google has said that, despite the ruling, it has no intention of pulling out of Italy.