Google settles libel lawsuit with Tory MP over defamatory ‘paedophile’ advert
Google has settled a libel lawsuit brought forward by Conservative party MP Lee Anderson, after the tech company displayed adverts falsely accusing Anderson of protecting peadophiles.
Google Ireland issued an apology to Anderson and settled the case out of court, after it hosted a political advert from campaign group “Keeping Kids Safe” on political news website Guido Fawkes.
A barrister representing the Tory MP told High Court Judge Jaron Lewis that the advert displayed in February 2021 falsely suggested that Anderson was “protective or sympathetic to the abuse of children and those who perpetrate such abuse.”
A barrister representing Google told the High Court that the advert should not have been displayed as it did not comply with Google’s policies.
Anderson’s barrister, Felicity McMahon, explained that the advert showed a picture of Anderson next to the headline “MP Office protect paedophile,” as she noted the advert was taken down as soon as Google was alerted to it by Anderson himself.
“This was highly defamatory, threatening to erode the confidence of the claimant’s constituents in him as their elected representative,” she said.
Hope Williams, the barrister representing Google, said: “The defendant is here today through me to sincerely apologise to the claimant for any distress the advert has caused to him and his family, and for any loss of confidence his constituents have suffered in the Member of Parliament as a result of seeing the advert.”