Washington, DC - Today in a Southern District of Mississippi courtroom, U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate granted a temporary injunction to Google, extending arguments in the company’s battle to block Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood’s fact-finding efforts for as much as four months. Hood wants answers to questions he’s posed to Google regarding the company’s profits from the marketing of rogue online pharmacies, stolen credit card sellers, and operations pushing steroids to teenagers. After the judge’s decision was announced, Digital Citizens Alliance Executive Director Tom Galvin made the following remarks:
"By granting an injunction, Judge Wingate extended the ‘timeout' in the case while giving himself more time to consider the merits. Ultimately what lies in the balance of a final court decision is whether it will be more difficult for state law enforcement officials to protect victims of online crime. If Google is no longer aiding criminals, as it did in the prescription drug case, it should have nothing to worry about. But Google wants to avoid any responsibility. The fact that Google has profited from the illegal promotion and sale of drugs, counterfeits, and content theft - and now stands to profit from pro-ISIS videos on YouTube - speaks volumes about how Google puts profits ahead of Internet safety and consumer protection."