I missed this over the weekend, but in earlier coverage in The Guardian, Josh Halliday had reported:
…The technology giant has been ordered to remove almost 100 online articles from its search listings by Spain’s data protection authority, which Google warns would have a “profound, chilling effect” on freedom of expression.
[…]
An injunction against search engines is the only way to block access to sensitive material published by these sites, the Spanish authority argues, as newspapers in the country can legally refuse to comply with more informal requests.
However, Google says it acts only as an intermediary, and therefore it cannot be held responsible for all content on the internet.
Peter Barron, Google’s director of external relations for Europe, told the Guardian: “We are disappointed by the actions of the Spanish privacy regulator. Spanish and European law rightly hold the publisher of the material responsible for its content.
“Requiring intermediaries like search engines to censor material published by others would have a profound, chilling effect on free expression without protecting people’s privacy.”
Read more in The Guardian.