Google can’t duck Mississippi probe of objectionable search engine content
A US appeals court said on Friday that a judge was wrong to block state Attorney-General Jim Hood’s sweeping demand for information from the company after concluding in March 2015 that it looked like a “fishing expedition.”
The ruling lets Mr. Hood press forward with his investigation of whether Google bears responsibility for Web sites featuring illicit drugs, stolen credit cards and fake identification, as well as material on YouTube that infringes copyrights. Google has accused Mr. Hood of harassment while working in cahoots with Hollywood studios that blame the company for the proliferation of pirated movies online.
The three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals in New Orleans said it isn’t taking sides on the “reasonableness” of Mr. Hood’s inquiry, but that the possibility of a “future enforcement action” against Google didn’t pose an “imminent threat of irreparable injury” to the company.
Business World Online
4/10/16
Magnolia Tribune
