Comments for Google in court in Italy at http://www.socialmediame.com , comment 1 to 2 out of 2 comments http://www.socialmediame.com Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:24:52 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.socialmediame.com/google-in-court-in-italy.html#comment-5 Was just referred to this article from Twitter :) -- Privacy issues are very important, especially nowadays with all the new means available to all, allowing virtually anyone to break boundaries of decency. However, I think that the problem here is not privacy. It is bullying. Did the fact that potentially millions saw the bullying make this whole experience more harmful? (in this case the video was removed almost immediately assuming millions viewed it could be far fetched, although popular videos spread like the flu! Anyway)... Does that mean if the bullying was not recorded and shared on Google, it would have been less harmful? I don't think so. Bullying is as damaging even if it's only known to the bully and the victim. Public humiliation may add insult to injury, yes, but the real problem, the real crime is the bullying. Whether it is done face to face or online is irrelevant. Just like schools cannot always keep an eye on what's happening in their hallways, Google cannot keep track of every video (or other) posted. Just like in schools, when there's a complaint, actions are taken. And in this case Google acted promptly. Actually they should be thanking Google for revealing the bullies. Technologies are nothing but carriers. It's people who make the crimes. Nobody would think of suing a knife manufacturer just because someone would have used their product to kill. I've been reading a lot about teenagers bullied on blogs and social networks, and even about one girl who committed suicide after being humiliated online. Apparently she received a large number of insults on her own blog and was so hurt she couldn't take all the cruelty. Privacy regulations are stated very clearly on all social media sites. When these rules are broken, measures are taken. This is justice. (I only wish that the bullies being punished would serve as a lesson and would actually deter others from recording and posting such videos, but it would be too good to be true, right? One can only hope that administrators of such sites act promptly and severely... As for hoping that all people exercise some sort of decency - and compassion - and refrain from bullying altogether, well that would be utopia...) - rouba Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:01:31 +0100 http://www.socialmediame.com/google-in-court-in-italy.html#comment-4 mmm - I think without the video the kids would have got away with it. Freedom of the Media and the Internet is too important. - Alex Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:46:35 +0100