Blog postings allegedly libelous against American Medical Students program
An Israeli university is suing Google over allegedly libelous comments posted to a blog that is hosted by the search engine giant. The blog, originally hosted by Google’s Blogger platform, claims that the Technion American Medical Students program mistreats students and advises potential applicants to steer clear of the university. The lawsuit was filed in a Haifa court, where Technion is based, last month. Although Google argued the court has no jurisdiction, a judge ruled against that claim. In a statement posted to its website, Technion noted, “This is the first time an Israeli court determined the responsibility of World Google as a provider of web hosting services to remove defamatory statements on the Internet.” Unlike in the United States, Israeli law holds platform owners responsible for what is posted on blogs they host. However, Technion’s efforts may ultimately be in vain, as the blogger, whose name has yet to be released, has moved to a different platform, one that apparently does not operate in Israel.