Italian Court Convicts 3 Google Execs of Violating Privacy • Hacker News Board

Re: Italian Court Convicts 3 Google Execs of Violating Privacy

#31

Post by Semiapies » Wed, Feb 24, 2010, 8:04 PM UTC

volomike wrote: post #19

Tsk. Why do web companies even worry about a problem like this? If it were me, I'd simply redirect all Italian web traffic from my site and onto a black page with a short explanation of the problem. And I'd make the switch at 1am. If my company were as popular as Google is, within a few short minutes there would be massive outrage such that politicians, journalists, judges, and police officers would be awoken from sl…

Something vaguely along these lines would be a reasonable action. If local laws make the sensible operation of a legitimate website criminal, then the operators of that website would be smart to block all traffic from that country.

Re: Italian Court Convicts 3 Google Execs of Violating Privacy

#32

Post by davidw » Wed, Feb 24, 2010, 8:40 PM UTC

davidw wrote: post #9

What's really amazing is reading the comments here (in Italian): http://vitadigitale.corriere.it/2010/02/processo_vivi_down_g... Most of them are aghast at the decision, but there is a reasonable number supporting the decision. Italy FAIL :-/

On my own online journal, I appear to have picked up a few commenters who take a dim view of freedom.

http://journal.dedasys.com/2010/02/24/google-execs-convicted...

Re: Italian Court Convicts 3 Google Execs of Violating Privacy

#33

Post by neilk » Fri, Feb 26, 2010, 6:52 AM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #30

neilk wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't agree that such actions are too aggressive. In the era of South African apartheid, Western disinvestment campaigns played a role in eliminating the system, and they were supported by Mandela and the ANC. Even individual organizations can have an impact. Mandela believes that the University of California's disinvestment of 3 billion dollars was particularly helpful. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinvestment_f…

If I look at Cuba I don't think much good came of it. Such tools are best used with lots of caution.

That's a fair point. Sanctions seem to be relatively useless against despotism (North Korea, Cuba, Iraq).

However, South Africa was an advanced democratic capitalist state, and its stability depended on links with the Western capitalist system. Italy is probably even more vulnerable to such pressure.