Found Google to be a publisher subject to defamation claims - this is huge and long over due.
“Google had failed to take responsibility for its conduct as a publisher.”
The judge found the tech giant failed to apply its own policies to prevent on hate speech, cyberbullying and harassment.
It failed to explain why it left the “many racist attacks” on YouTube once Mr Barilaro’s staff had complained in late 2020.
In December last year, a further video published from Mr Shanks referred “pointedly” to Mr Barilaro’s solicitor and the judge said they made allegations “without factual or intelligible basis” attacking the professional integrity of his legal team.
Justice Rares said this was a "splenetic and vindictive attack … calculated to bring improper pressure to intimidate each of them from continuing to act for Mr Barilaro".
But he said all he ever wanted was an apology.
“It’s all I ever wanted from the outset,” he said.
"It’s why we settled with Jordan Shanks. He was prepared to apologise.
“It was never about money. It was about an apology, removal.”
As for life after politics, the former deputy premier said he was “enjoying” the next phase of his life, particularly after a traumatic final 18 months in office dealing with the videos.
“Life’s good. I’m just enjoying life. There’ll be plenty to do. I’m 50, there’s a next chapter.”
Earlier this year, Mr Barilaro told the court the videos caused him to consider self-harm and triggered many threatening confrontations in public with fans of Mr Shanks.
In November, he settled a parallel case against Mr Shanks, after the comedian apologised for any offence caused and agreed to edit his videos.
Here is a video about the apology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxggIc8ft8Q
Really? This is the outcome he wanted?
The original videos are still up. I am not personally a fan of the humor of Jordan Shanks, and I don’t know whether the claims made in the videos about John Barilaro are true or false. But the videos still being up provides us with a good opportunity to get more context on this.
That video hardly seems like an apology.
But Google usually sidesteps a lot of liability by claiming it is not a publisher (section 230) and this judge said Google was a publisher. That I believe is significant.
Definition of splenetic 1(archaic) : given to melancholy 2: marked by bad temper, malevolence, or spite
Someone looked at their word of the day calendar today!
