Early this week, a federal judge agreed to temporarily halt an investigation carried out by an attorney general on Google, giving the American search-engine firm a small victory in a heavy feud against law enforcement agencies regarding internet privacy.
Judge Henry T. Wingate granted a preliminary injunction request from Google, which prevented Attorney General Jim Hood from pursuing a subpoena meant to closely review as to whether or not Google is encouraging illegal activities on its own websites. The injunction also prevents Hood from filing criminal charges in the meantime.
Last year, Hood’s office sent a subpoena to Google asking for details on its advertising and search practices ranging from banned materials to human trafficking to copyright-protected content.
Google’s attorney argued that the subpoena is violation of the federal law that protects search engines from suits looking to hold them responsible for failing to screen content made by third parties. The search giant also said the investigation is targeting the protected speech of the constitution.
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