Four executives from Google, the internet search company, are to appear before a Milan court tomorrow in a trial that could have significant implications for internet privacy and the future of video-sharing websites. An Italian prosecutor has laid criminal charges against the four, who include David Drummond, Google’s chief legal officer, and Peter Fleischer, its top privacy executive, after footage of a disabled boy being bullied by other boys was broadcast on Google Video. The four executives are charged with criminal defamation against the disabled boy and with breaching the Italian privacy code. They face up to three years in prison if convicted. One of the executives, George Reyes, former chief financial officer, has since retired from Google. The fourth is Arvind Desikan, a senior product marketing manager.
