(NOTE: This is a horrendous decision that could have international ramifications that threaten free expression on the Internet. Hopefully the conviction will be overturned on appeal. It’s impossible to overstate the impact and danger of this decision! – Mike)
An Italian court has convicted three Google executives in a trial over a video showing an autistic teenager being bullied.
The Google employees were accused of breaking Italian law by allowing the video to be posted online.
Judge Oscar Magi absolved the three of defamation but convicted them of privacy violations.
The UK’s former Information Commissioner Richard Thomas said the case gave privacy laws a “bad name”.
The three employees, Peter Fleischer, David Drummond and George De Los Reyes, received suspended six-month sentences, while a fourth defendant, product manager Arvind Desikan, was acquitted.
David Drummond, chief legal officer at Google and one of those convicted, said he was “outraged” by the decision.
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