Reason to believe Google

Opinion: March 3, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

San Jose Mercury News: It’s hard to find anyone, save the prosecutor, who will defend an Italian judge’s decision Wednesday to convict three Google executives of invasion of privacy. The men got six-month suspended sentences because in 2006, the now-defunct Google video site briefly hosted a clip showing an autistic boy being bullied.

The verdict was appalling; the men had nothing to do with the video, and the company took it down as soon as it learned about it.

Heartening reaction

But the reaction — ranging from head-scratching to condemnation, even among privacy advocates — has been heartening. Despite worries the case will set a precedent in Italy or the European Union, we’re hopeful that this backlash will keep other countries from following suit. It should also help persuade an Italian appeals court to rethink the verdict.