Courts / Ireland / Report
Google breaching acquitted man's anonymity, court told
Summary
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 1 August 2019, lawyers for a man acquitted of rape last year argued that Google search results for his name breach his right to anonymity. Micheal O'Higgins SC told Justice Micheal White that when his client's name is entered into Google, the results display links to court reports of the client's 2018 trial and to two other rape trials in which he is not named. He claimed this juxtaposition violates the 1981 (Rape) Act, which prohibits publishing material that could identify an accused unless convicted. The client seeks a temporary block on all Google searches of his name, citing employment difficulties. Rossa Fanning SC for Google Ireland Ltd said the company had removed most offending links and offered to delete any that appear alongside the name. Justice White ordered the applicant to file a summons and statement of claim by the next day and set a deadline of 12 August for Google's affidavit.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Google breaching acquitted man's anonymity, court told. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial
When:
- August 12 Other
- 2019-08-01 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
Topics
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