Google executives may face jail time in Italy after prosecutors requested the sentence over a video posted on a website owned by the company, which showed teenagers bullying another teenager with Down Syndrome.
The prosecutors say the four executives had a legal responsibility to prevent the video from being shown. It was posted in late 2006 and remained online for over two months.
“One year has been requested for three executives,” a Google Italy spokeswoman said in a statement. The limit for complicity in defamation and harm to private life is three years in prison.
The executives on trial include David Drummond, head of Google Italy’s managing board at the time the video was uploaded, former board member George De Los Reyes, privacy protection officer Peter Fleitcher and head of videos for Europe Arvind Desikan.
A verdict is expected on 23 December.
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