Ever since the string of recent hacked nude photo leaks has begun, the celebrities involved have done everything they could to fight it.
Victoria Justice claimed they were fake, McKayla Maroney said hers were underage, and Jennifer Lawrence and others threatened legal action.
[ Related: Kate Upton Responds To Nude Photo Leak — Through Her Lawyer ]
Well now it looks like we might be seeing the beginning of that legal action. Celebrity lawyer Marty Singer is launching a full-on legal attack, starting with a letter threatening to sue for over $100 million!!
But the question is, who can these celebs sue? Apparently, Google. Singer writes:
“Google is making millions and profiting from the victimization of women. As a result of your blatantly unethical behavior, Google is exposed to significant liability and both compensatory and punitive damages that could well exceed One Hundred Million Dollars ($100,000,000).”
On the one hand, suing Google may seem like a strange tack here. Google isn’t the Internet, it’s just a device to get to what’s ON the Internet.
So suing the search engine because of what’s out there for people to search for sounds like an act of desperation.
[ Related: How To Protect Yourself From A Nude Photo Hack ]
But here’s the thing. Google is capable of removing sites and photos from its search results. We’ve seen it happen.
So if you can still search for “leaked nude photos” on Google and find them with ease, it is a bit of a problem.
[ Photos: Forget Leaked Photos — These Celebs WANT You To See Them Naked ]
Singer says that his firm has sent more than a dozen takedown requests over the photos based on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Of course, copyright is a tricky legal issue these days.
[ Related: Who Really Owns Ellen DeGeneres’ Oscar Selfie? ]
Still, Singer says it’s possible for companies to do the right thing. He says:
“While responsible providers like Twitter are immediately removing the images and suspending the offending user accounts, Google is perpetuating the despicable conduct of these habitual pervert predators.”
So what do U think? Should Google be held legally (and financially) responsible for what it links to on Internet searches?
[Image via Bauer Griffin Online.]
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