Google liability News

Google Ordered to Pay Former Australian Lawmaker for Defamatory YouTube Videos

SYDNEY – An Australian court on Monday ordered Google to pay a former lawmaker A$715,000 ($515,000), saying its refusal to remove a YouTuber’s “relentless, racist, vilificatory, abusive and defamatory” videos drove him out of politics. The Federal Court found the …

Three States, D.C. Sue Google Claiming Location Tracking Violates Users’ Privacy

Texas, Indiana, Washington State and the District of Columbia sued Alphabet Inc.’s Google on Monday over what they called deceptive location-tracking practices that invade users’ privacy. “Google falsely led consumers to believe that changing their account and device settings would …

Lawmakers to Introduce Bipartisan Bill Aimed at Internet Firms’ Liability Shield

U.S. legislation will be introduced in the coming weeks that could hurt technology companies’ ability to offer end-to-end encryption, two sources with knowledge of the matter said, and it aims to curb the distribution of child sexual abuse material on …

Attorney General Barr: Should Tech Giants Still Be Free From Liability for Content?

U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday questioned whether Facebook, Google and other major online platforms still need the immunity from legal liability that has prevented them from being sued over material their users post. “No longer are tech companies …

Justice Department Targets Internet Firms’ Liability Shield

Attorney General William Barr is taking aim at a legal shield enjoyed by companies such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc. as the provision comes under increasing fire from both liberals and conservatives. Barr has accused social media companies …

IBM Joins Call to Trim Liability Shield for Google, Facebook, Other Internet Platforms

International Business Machines Corp. on Wednesday threw its support behind enacting a new policy to limit liability protections enjoyed by internet platforms such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Twitter Inc. and Facebook Inc. Ryan Hagemann, an IBM government and regulatory affairs …

UK Joins Global Backlash Against Tech Firms that Fail to Control Harmful Content

The U.K. joined a growing global backlash against technology companies such as Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc., proposing fines and bans if social-media platforms fail to curb illegal activity. The government outlined plans for an industry-funded regulator that would police …

Tech Firms Face Fines and Jail for Failure to Remove Violent Content in Australia

Australia will fine social media and web hosting companies up to 10 percent of their annual global turnover and imprison executives for up to three years if violent content is not removed “expeditiously” under a new law. The new law …

Lawmakers Eye Holding Social Media Firms Liable for User Posts

Top Republican lawmakers on Tuesday attacked one of the legal protections most prized by social media companies such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc., questioning whether they should be held liable for content posted by users. House Judiciary Chairman …

Trump Wants NAFTA to Limit Liability of Internet Firms Including Google, Facebook

The Trump administration is pushing to add legal protections in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that would limit the liability of internet giants such as Google and Facebook, marking the latest in a tug-of-war as policy makers balance …