This could lead to Google being less zealous to protect anonymity wordwide. Having a legal precedent will make it easier for others to get information out of Google -- and Google would be foolish to pile up its legal costs by resisting.
INTERNET giant Google has lost a landmark legal battle that is expected to open the floodgates to online litigation against anonymous online commentators.
The Supreme Court yesterday ordered Google Australia to release details of those behind a website that labelled Gold Coast entrepreneur and self-help guru Jamie McIntyre a "thieving scumbag", the Courier-Mail reported.
Private investigator Travis Burch, who was hired by Mr McIntyre to find out the website's author so he could sue for defamation, said yesterday that it was "a good day for people who don't frankly want to be defamed on the internet".
"We've done a lot of work in this area and identifying and pushing trying to expose people and tracking them down through records that they leave on the Internet," Mr Burch said. "Having a win in courts just means we're a couple of steps closer to bringing the person to a form of justice. "The content that appeared on that website and (has) been promoted through the website is blatantly defamatory."
Barrister John Bryson said he thought it was the first time legal action of this kind against Google had been successful in Australia. "People need to know that they can take on the big companies, the major players, and get a win," Mr Bryson said.
SOURCE
2 comments:
It can be proven that Google are happy to divulge anonymous communications, anonymously, when it is politically expedient for them to do so. Google is comprised of people with opinions and prejudices. It is a "company" of men and women. Google is a partisan operation that regularly deletes certain weblogs that contravene it policies.
As a surveillance operation it could serve wonderfully for the purposes of taking names, identities and locations of those it and those to whom it answers, might describe as "terrorists" and subversives of the collective public mind.
The snitch culture is on its way. Soon neighbours will be ratting on those who've done absolutely nothing so as to save their own miserable compliant arse from the tender mercies of the "authorities". Even now the Nanny State encourages dobbing in a "terrorist" via media so as to demonstrate its relevance. It thrives of fear so seeks to fracture communites with the elicitation of fear and loathing.
We live in a sick inverted society and those as the "top" appear almost evil in intent and certainly in works.
I wonder how many people are aware of the fact that one of Google's major share holders is Al Gore, which should explain their Left leaning bias.
Google is fast becoming an information gathering monster and is going way beyond it's originally stated function as a simple search engine. The question then becomes, how much personal information do they really have, and who do they make it available to. Remember, they also control all Droid phones.
Post a Comment