Google sued by Hong Kong-based banker over extreme internet trolling

Google has agreed to a settlement with a Hong Kong-based businessman who sued the search engine firm over defamatory internet posts that were circulated across some 3,600 websites.

Daniel Hegglin, a former Morgan Stanley banker, went to Britain's High Court to force Google to ensure posts falsely labelling him a murderer, paedophile and Nazi did not appear in search results in what was described by lawyers as an extreme example of internet trolling.

Settlement of what would have been a test case defining the US firm's global responsibilities was announced at the High Court in London on Monday.

Details of the settlement were not revealed but an agreed statement was read out in court.

"The settlement includes significant efforts on Google's part to remove the abusive material from Google-hosted websites and from its search results," said Hegglin's barrister, Hugh Tomlinson QC.

"Mr Hegglin will now concentrate his energies on bringing the persons responsible for this campaign of harassment to justice."

On behalf of Google, Anthony White QC said: "Google provides search services to millions of people and cannot be responsible for policing internet content. It will, however, continue to apply its procedures that have been developed to assist with the removal of content which breaches local applicable laws."