The Department of Justice (DOJ) accuses Google employees of using auto-deleting chats and labeling emails as 'privileged and confidential' to conceal potentially damaging communications during an ongoing antitrust trial.
Google employees and executives attempted to hide potentially damaging communications from investigators by using auto-deleting chats and marking emails “privileged and confidential” as a regular course of business — sneaky moves that may backfire on the internet giant as the second antitrust trial against the company rages on.
LaSala admitted to instructing employees to start chat threads with history turned off or to have “off the record” discussions when dealing with sensitive topics. While he claimed this was a common practice among employees, LaSala acknowledged that he made mistakes in following the litigation hold but maintained that they were unintentional.
The DOJ argued that Google employees were well aware of how their written communications could be used against the company, pointing to Google’s “Communicate with Care” legal training for employees. In one instance, a Google executive reminded colleagues to be careful with their language, particularly when framing something as a “circumvention,” and to assume that every document and email generated would likely be seen by regulators.
Google spokesperson Peter Schottenfels stated that the company takes its obligations to preserve and produce relevant documents seriously and has produced millions of documents, including chat messages and documents not covered by legal privilege, in response to inquiries and litigation.
Google Antitrust Investigation Evidence Concealment DOJ
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Man Shot by Police After Allegedly Threatening Walgreens Employees With Bomb and GunA man was shot by Fountain police officers after allegedly threatening Walgreens employees with a bomb and a gun during a robbery. He fled the scene and was found in a Lowe's parking lot where officers fired at him, striking him. The suspect was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Read more »
Verizon Allegedly Fails To Properly Compensate Overtime EmployeesA lawsuit filed against Verizon alleges the telecom giant is not compensating overtime employees properly, paying them around $30 per extra shift instead of adhering to the Fair Labor Standards Act's time-and-a-half requirement. The lawsuit aims to represent thousands of current and former employees.
Read more »
15 years ago, a Google boss allegedly proposed to 'crush' the ad competitionSebastian, a veteran of a tech writer with over 15 years of experience in media and marketing, blends his lifelong fascination with writing and technology to provide valuable insights into the realm of mobile devices.
Read more »
Google Employees Used 'Off The Record' Chat Messages To Circumvent Legal HoldsLawyers for the Justice Department have told a Virginia court that Google employees liberally labeled their emails as “privileged and confidential” and spoke “off the record” over chat messages, even after being told to preserve their communications for investigators.
Read more »
Google employees’ attempts to hide messages from investigators might backfireEvidence presented in the Justice Department’s second antitrust trial against Google shows that employees chatted “off the record” and commonly marked emails “privileged.”
Read more »
Google employees reportedly criticize AI tool created to moderate company meetingsIzzy, a tech enthusiast and a key part of the PhoneArena team, specializes in delivering the latest mobile tech news and finding the best tech deals. Her interests extend to cybersecurity, phone design innovations, and camera capabilities.
Read more »