A lawyer for female celebrities who are affected by the massive hacking has threatened to sue Google for allegedly failing to remove the private images.
- Oct 2, 2014
AceShowbiz - Some celebrities whose naked photos were stolen and spread on the internet following recent massive hacking have threatened to sue Google, accusing them of failing to remove the images and making profit from the incident. Marty Singer who is representing a dozen of stars who are affected by the nude photo leaks has sent a letter to Google's Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Eric Schmidt and lawyers in regards to the removal.
Singer says in the letter obtained by Page Six that Lavely & Singer has sent some notices to the tech company to remove the private photos, but they still can be found on BlogSpot and YouTube. In the letter, the celebrities' team says Google has failed "to act expeditiously, and responsibly to remove the images, but in knowingly accommodating, facilitating, and perpetuating the unlawful conduct. Google is making millions and profiting from the victimization of women."
"Google knows the images are hacked stolen property, private and confidential photos and videos unlawfully obtained and posted by pervert predators who are violating the victims' privacy rights ... Yet Google has taken little or no action to stop these outrageous violations," Singer says. In the letter, he also compares the company's alleged lack of action to the NFL's handling of Ray Rice domestic abuse case.
"Because the victims are celebrities with valuable publicity rights you do nothing - nothing but collect millions of dollars in advertising revenue ... as you seek to capitalize on this scandal rather than quash it. Like the NFL, which turned a blind eye while its players assaulted and victimized women and children, Google has turned a blind eye while its sites repeatedly exploit and victimize these women," it reads.
Racy photos which belong to Jennifer Lawrence, Kirsten Dunst, Rihanna and Kate Upton among others landed online via 4chan and other forums in late August. Later, photos of other female stars such as Gabrielle Union and Kim Kardashian were also shared online.
