Google has claimed it is against European law to force it to remove lurid images of former Formula One boss Max Mosley taking part in an alleged Nazi-themed orgy, after a German court ordered the company to block access to them.
The ruling, which follows Mosley’s success in a French court, orders that the images must be removed from Google’s search service, making them impossible to find through use of the website.
Images of Mosley being spanked are currently easy to find through Google’s Image Search function, appearing after only simple search terms such as “Max Mosley” or, worse, “Max Mosley pictures”. The images originated as stills from a 2008 video published by News of the World, and were judged by the court in Germany to “seriously violate Mosley’s private sphere”.
While Mosley has admitted to being present and to paying five prostitutes £2,500 to attend, he has always strenuously denied that the party had a Nazi theme.
A Google spokesman said that the company intends to appeal, adding: “[The decision] could mean that Internet providers are required to monitor even the smallest components of content they transmit or store for their users. We believe this is contrary to European law.”
Critics say Mosley’s actions have only succeeded in making him a victim of the so-called “Streisand effect” – a term coined after Barbara Streisand tried to have nude images of her on a beach completely removed from the Internet in 2003, only to see the images being duplicated en masse in retaliation.
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