Google's Brazil Unit Ordered by Judge to Give Data
The Brazilian unit of Google Inc., the operator of Orkut, the country's most-used online community site, was ordered by a Sao Paulo judge to turn over users' data from the service to prosecutors.
Judge Jose Marcos Lunardelli of the 17th District Federal Civil Court gave Google Brasil Internet Ltda. 15 days to comply with the order or face fines of $23,559 day. The ruling was disclosed on Brazil's Public Attorney's Office Web site.
Lunardelli granted the order after the prosecutors filed a lawsuit last month demanding information about users who allegedly distributed pornographic and racist materials on Orkut, which has more than 20 million users in Brazil.
A spokesman for Google's Brazilian unit said company officials were not immediately available for comment.
Durval de Noronha Goyos Jr., a lawyer for Google Inc. in Brazil, said on Aug. 23 the requests for information need to be directed to the parent company in Mountain View, California, because the local unit is just a sales office and has no access to the data. The parent company has complied with court orders after it receives them, he said.
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