back to article Google exec faces arrest after vid tears strip off Brazilian

A judge in Brazil has ordered the arrest of a Google exec after the company refused to remove YouTube videos that hit out at a mayoral candidate in the Latin American country. Google is fighting attempts by the authorities to cuff Fabio Coelho, who lives in San Paulo and is the firm's director in Brazil. His LinkedIn profile …

COMMENTS

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  1. John Lilburne

    Apparently its one rule for one ...

    ... and another rule for Google bosses:

    http://gawker.com/5477611/googles-ceo-demanded-his-mistress-take-down-her-blog-source

    mess with Eric and his lawyers will take down your blog.

  2. Rodrigo Valenzuela

    "Google believes that voters have a right to use the internet to freely express their opinions about candidates for political office, as a form of full exercise of democracy, especially during electoral campaigns."

    That's a funny one.

    I'd like to see Google try the same in China

    R

    1. ratfox
      Holmes

      They tried

      That is why Youtube has been blocked in China since 2009.

  3. The FunkeyGibbon
    FAIL

    Losing the plot once again.

    Isn't this a bit like me thinking "Wow that guy cut me up!" and then asking for the chief of the Highways Agency be brought to book over it?

  4. toadwarrior

    There is no gain for them to take it down. If it were critical of their management or there was a financial gain, I'd bet good money it would be down already.

  5. asdf
    FAIL

    cautionary tale

    Everyone is high on the pixie dust on the incredible growth of the developing BRIC countries but eventually the double digit growth will slow and the fundamental problems with the political systems in these countries are going to show why they still haven't joined the 1st world club.

    1. xperroni
      Childcatcher

      Re: cautionary tale

      Yes, because just look at, say, US and England: they may not have the fastest growing economies, but at least they're models of democracy and freedom of speech, managed by governments of unparalleled efficiency.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: cautionary tale

      "Everyone [blah blah blah]"

      And so spoketh our geopolitics expert for today.

      1. asdf
        FAIL

        Re: cautionary tale

        >And so spoketh our geopolitics expert for today.

        Well said by the Anon coward who adds nothing to the conversation.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: cautionary tale

          "Well said by the Anon coward who adds nothing to the conversation."

          Many thanks. There used to be a saying about keeping one's mouth shut and appearing a fool...

  6. xperroni

    And by the way it's "São Paulo", not "San Paulo".

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      One can assume you use the native name for any foreign city then?

      1. Ken Hagan Gold badge

        "One can assume you use the native name for any foreign city then?"

        No, but even in English, it isn't San Paulo.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        "One can assume you use the native name for any foreign city then?"

        Can one assume that you refer to South America's largest metropolis as Saint Paul then? And do you find it compares favourably or unfavourably in terms of human development against its two large coastal neighbours, January River to the North and Good Airs to the South?

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    hmm...

    So they cant take this down, but are happy to remove all nudity and copyright material...

    1. NogginTheNog
      Coat

      Re: hmm...

      Unless he's nude and miming to Rihanna, possibly not!

  8. Sirius Lee

    Not a surprising request

    It's not surprising to me that demands are being made all over the world to remove this or that bit of free expression. Countries like the US and UK which espouse freedom of speech either don't robustly respect it themselves or do not provide a robust response to demands from other countries when leaders of those countries demand the US or UK restrain freedom of expression.

    At the moment we have Pakistani leaders demanding the removal of material with a response of diplomatic weasel words from US leaders. Weasel words are the 'correct' diplomatic response but are understandably regarded as being soft - and so not really meant - because in everyday speech the stuff we all hear we expect to hear more robust words it we we really take an opinion. Sure the Pakistani leaders are playing to their electorate but so are western leaders.

    Or in the UK we're struggling to extradite a terror suspect to the US but gladly handing over a university student for allowing a web to contain links to copyright material. Really? We can't handle this in the UK?

    No, it's no wonder officials anywhere in the world feel it appropriate to constrain freedom of expression.

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