Google has been sued because of the autocomplete suggestions for an Irish hotel.
The Ballymascanlon House Hotel, Golf and Leisure Club says several potential guests, including brides planning their weddings, see the word “receivership” pop up during Google searches for the hotel’s name. As a result, claims the hotel, they have been cancelling their bookings, leaving the hotel out of pocket.
In Blighty, receivership is used by creditors in insolvency legislation in the UK; in some cases, the administration of the debtor’s business might even be turned over to the receiver. Google’s autocomplete suggestions have gotten the company into legal hot water in the past for exactly this reason. Lately it has been gently censoring the results although it is also a bit tricky.
Auto-complete is defamatory
Nick Farell
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