Brazil's prosecutors sue Google for withholding user information

Brazilian prosecutors sued U.S. Internet group Google Inc. on Tuesday for not following orders from a Brazilian Federal Court to provide information on members using its social network site, Orkut.

The prosecutors demanded the closure of the company's operations in Brazil and the payment of a fine of 130 million reais (61 million U.S. dollars), about 1 percent of the company's gross revenue, as penalty for withholding user information, required for a criminal investigation.

According to the prosecutors, the site Orkut, which has become hugely popular in Brazil over the past two years, hosts communities and personal profiles of Brazilians charged with crimes.

In anticipation of the complaint, Google's Brazilian unit, Google Brasil, petitioned a judge on Monday to name an independent specialist to determine whether it was withholding user information.

Google Brasil said on Tuesday that the information requested is not available to them, because though 70 percent of Orkut users are Brazilians, all data is stored in their headquarters' servers based in the United States, where Brazilian laws are invalid.

But federal prosecutor Sergio Suiama, who coordinates a group battling cyber crimes, dismissed on Tuesday Google's explanation as an unsatisfactory "excuse."

The question is of the access to the data, and not where the data is stored, said Suiama, noting that Microsoft and Yahoo also have data stored outside Brazil, but provide information to Brazilian authorities when requested.

Source: Xinhua