Fortress Google under siege

Wellington tech industry lawyer Michael Wigley hits the nail on the head writing about the European court decision in Another loss for Fortress Google on the Tuanz website. The story is no longer online.

He says the European decision is sensible and the move will not have a chilling effect on free speech.

He writes:

Google Inc has a corporate structure that makes it difficult to be sued, with carefully set up separate subsidiary companies in countries, and difficult communication channels, as we’ve seen from our clients’ experiences.

And it has continued to expand its commercial dominance by its strategies.

Wigley makes a similar point to my Google Australia’s dishonest criticism of EU right to be forgotten ruling.

It’s hard to bring Google to account  because it is remote and deliberately chooses not to engage in dialogue with others, including those who suffer the consequences of its actions.

This wouldn’t matter if it just existed in an obscure niche, but Google is the main gatekeeper to the Internet. It plays a central role in modern life.

Shrugging shoulders and dismissing responsibility is not an option. If Google doesn’t clean up its act, the regulators will move in and force Google’s hand.