Google is never wrong, unless (of course) Hong Kong celebrities and triads are in question.
Google has appealed the decision to allow Hong Kong tycoon Albert Yeung to pursue charges of defamation because Google’s algorithm links his name with triads in both the English and Chinese versions of the auto-complete search functions.
We assume the Chairman of Emperor Motion Pictures doesn’t really understand the whole concept behind the auto-complete function, which loads suggestions driven by previous popular search terms that Google users have tried.
In August, the search engine’s legal team tried to dismiss the case before it could go to trial, arguing that Hong Kong courts do not have jurisdiction over the company, and that the company could not even be held responsible for the suggestions. The High Court, however, gave Yeung permission to pursue charges.
This week, First Instance Deputy Judge Madam Marlene Ng May-ling produced a written ruling saying “an appeal [by Google] will hopefully bring enlightenment by the Court of Appeal in this new and uneasy area of defamation law.”
Yeungo will for sure be hoping his lawyers are successful in their attempts to get Google to remove the triad references connected to his name, because, as the saying goes, “If it’s not on Google, it doesn’t exist”.
Photo: Simon via Pixabay
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