Italian court overturns Google convictions

Google and other hosting platforms generally rely on other users flagging objectionable content.

Marco Camisani Calzolari, an Internet entrepreneur, said the ruling only confirmed that "the platform is not responsible for content, of course."

Calzolari runs a platform called www.livepetitions.com , currently active in nine countries with 20,000 new users a day, where he faces similar issues. The five-year-old site allows users to collect signatures on petitions, which can be the source of acrimony and controversy.

"We do not filter in advance," he said, adding that he will remove items on request when it is clear it is in some way illegal or offensive.

The footage in the Google case showed an autistic student in Turin being pushed, pummeled with objects, including a pack of tissues, and insulted by classmates, who called him a "mongoloid."

The prosecutor's in their case — which was based on a complaint by an advocacy group — emphasized that the video had been viewed 5,500 times over the two months it was online and had elicited more than 80 comments, including users urging its removal.

Google argued that it was unaware of the offensive material and acted swiftly to remove it after being notified by authorities.