Google Execs Convicted, Guilty Of Something They Didn’t Do

• Rob Jackson
• 15 years ago

This may not be directly Android-related but it has far-reaching implications in the overall condition/state of the tech world. A few teenagers in Italy uploaded a video of themselves abusing an Autistic boy to Google Video (shortly before they bought YouTube). The boys were identified through the video and sentenced to community service, but Google Executives with headquarters in Italy were also being prosecuted and in ridiculous fashion, were just convicted!

While China’s tight grip over the interwebz is a disappointment, it is also somewhat expected. But Italy? They really expect companies to monitor every single piece of user submitted content before it goes live on the web so that if OTHER people break the law, it won’t be available for all to see? If anything, Italy should be THANKING Google for using their service to find and punish these kids and also taking down the video.

With a phone in your hand, you’re able to put content on the web even EASIER and because of the portability, you have access to a video camera and other features in places you previously wouldn’t have had access. With this idiotic decision, it puts pretty much every use of the internet into a grey area of legality and you might as well stop using your phone altogether, heaven forbid you make a tweet that says something mean and the founders of twitter get sued for slander.

When an Android Application developer submits their app to Android Market they can choose to submit it in all regions. But, with terrible decisions like this one, could you be opening yourself up to legal issues in countries to which you’ve never traveled? I suppose you’d need a residence in that country for them to prosecute, but if a judge is stupid enough to make a decision like this – let alone allow the trial to proceed – who knows what else could happen.

Google will be protesting the decision.

[Via Cellular News]