BERLIN (AP) — A top German appeals court has ruled Google does not have to check the content of pages it links to for possible legal violations before providing search results.
FILE – This April 26, 2017 file photo shows the Google mobile phone icon, in Philadelphia. A revised gender pay lawsuit seeking class action status against Google faults the search giant’s practice of asking new hires about their prior salary, a practice now banned in California because it perpetuates existing biases against women. The suit also adds a fourth complainant to the original, a preschool teacher with a master’s degree, to the group of three women who say they were underpaid by Google compared to their male counterparts. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
The dpa news agency reported the Federal Court of Justice ruled Tuesday that Google does, however, have to react when “concrete evidence” of violations of law, such as child pornography or acts of violence, are reported.
The court upheld a lower ruling in a case brought by a couple who argued Google should be responsible for blocking links to sites where they said they were defamed.
Presiding Judge Gregor Galke says to compel Google and others to check every link would paralyze the service in practical terms.
Galke says “a general responsibility to regulate is incompatible with the function of search engines.”
© Copyright 2018 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
