This archive report was first published on 4 July 2019.
July 4, 2019 - Wellington, New Zealand - New Zealand's Justice Minister Andrew Little has expressed outrage over Google's refusal to tighten publication standards after breaching court suppression orders in a high-profile murder case.
Google's actions have been criticized for potentially undermining the right to a fair trial for the accused killer of Briton Grace Millane, who was killed in December last year shortly after arriving in Auckland on holiday.
According to Little, Google initially appeared contrite, holding meetings with him and assuring Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern earlier this year that the issue was being looked at.
However, a follow-up inquiry in March yielded no results, and Little finally received a one-paragraph email from Google this week indicating the company saw no need to change its policy as the case had been 'extensively reported by overseas media'. Little described the response as 'contemptible' and 'extraordinarily disrespectful', saying it was 'giving the middle finger to New Zealand justice and the family of Grace Millane'.
Little said suppression orders were put in place to ensure the court system gave the accused a fair trial, and Google's actions potentially undermined that right.
He stated that if Google aren't going to change, he would have to find a way to put pressure on them through the legal system or through international agreements.
Little said he would raise the issue at meetings with his international counterparts in coming months.
