Google Sues Mississippi Attorney General, Alleging Internet Censorship

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/19/google-internet-censorship_n_6354518.html


Google is taking an attorney general to court on the grounds that his actions could threaten the freedom of the Internet.


The tech giant sued Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood (D) in a U.S. district court on Friday, alleging that his efforts to hold the search engine accountable for objectionable content online, such as illegal prescription drugs and pirated movies, violate federal law and are unconstitutional under the First and Fourth Amendments.


The lawsuit claims that for the last 18 months, Hood has "threatened to prosecute, sue, or investigate Google" unless it agreed to block content from its search engine, YouTube, and other platforms. Google aims to stop a "punitive" subpoena that Hood sent Google on Oct. 27, 2014. In that 79-page demand, Hood accused Google of engaging in practices that were, "unfair, deceptive, and misleading" and sought to hold the tech company accountable for facilitating illegal content. Hood requested extensive documentation related to Google's business practices.