IndustryYou Autocomplete Me: Should Google Monitor Suggestions?

You Autocomplete Me: Should Google Monitor Suggestions?

A Hong Kong court found billionaire Albert Yeung has a right to go ahead with a defamation case against Google after a judge said the search engine has the ability to censor material.

This week, a court in Hong Kong ruled that Albert Yeung has the right to sue Google for autocomplete suggestions that link him to organized crime.

According to a report from the Associated Press, Yeung is suing Google because it “refused to remove autocomplete suggestions such as ‘triad,’ as organized crime gangs are known in China.”

When you enter Yeung’s name into Google, “triad” is among the terms that pop up in the autocomplete box as exemplified below.

yeung-autocomplete

According to Forbes, Yeung is worth approximately $1.1 billion and has consistently appeared on its “Hong Kong’s 50 Richest” list.

yeung-forbes

Yeung is known as a self-made billionaire with ties to real estate and the retail and entertainment industries.

Google had argued the proper course of action would be for Yeung to address the websites directly that were publishing the “inaccurate” information. However, the ruling judge disagreed and said, “Google had the ability to censor material,” the AP reported.

This case is just another in a long line of so-called “Right to be Forgotten” requests and lawsuits that search engines have faced over the past few months.

While we can appreciate that no such case would ever hold water in the United States, that doesn’t mean we are not affected. These cases are beginning to create holes in history and take away access to information. What do you see being the long-term consequences of cases like this?

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