Google Video Posting May Bring Execs Jail Time
Thanks to a three minute cellphone video posted on Google Video in 2006, four of the company's executives may face jail tail in Italy. The four defendants, including SVP David Drummond, form CFO George Reyes, global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer, and a fourth yet to be identified, went on trial today in Milan over charges of privacy violation and defamation.
The video, which features four kids teasing a boy with Down syndrome, was removed shortly after being posted, and while the four execs on trial weren't directly involved with the handling of the video, they still face possible jail time.
"To our knowledge, this is the first time an individual has been criminally charged for violation of data protection laws that occurred by the company he or she works for," executive director of the International Association of Privacy Professionals, Trevor Hughes said in a statement reported by The New York Times. "This suggests that privacy is going to be more of a battleground."
Google issued a public statement decrying the trial,
As we have repeatedly made clear, our hearts go out to the victim and his family. We are pleased that as a result of our cooperation the bullies in the video have been identified and punished. We feel that bringing this case to court is totally wrong.
(Credit: Pageonce)
