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The
suspension of the service comes as the Alphabet-owned giant and
its peers, such as Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc, as well as
governments around the world, wrestle with the question of
responsibility for the content published on the platforms.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressed
disappointment about Google's failure to abide by a court order
suppressing the name of a man accused of killing 22-year-old
British backpacker Grace Millane.
The murder last year shocked New Zealand, where serious crimes
are relatively rare. The name of a man accused of the killing
has been suppressed by a court but it appeared in Google Trends
emails listing top search terms in New Zealand.
"We understand the sensitivity around this issue and we have
suspended Google Trends emails about searches trending in New
Zealand," a Google spokeswoman said in an email.
The company had earlier written to New Zealand Justice Minister
Andrew Little advising him of the decision after Little on
Wednesday urged the company not to be "evil" and to "do the
right thing" to prevent more breaches.
"Don't be evil" was a company motto.
The company said it respected New Zealand law and understood the
sensitivity of the issue.
"This ... provides even further assurance against any
recurrence," Ross Young, Google's government affairs and public
policy manager, said in the letter to Little, whose office
released the letter.
Millane, who was traveling after finishing university, went
missing in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, on Dec. 1.
Police found her body in a bush area just a few meters from a
scenic drive in Auckland's Waitakere Ranges.
(Reporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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