Lawyer demands jury stops Googling

Davey Winder
Thursday, 17 September 2009 15:46

Your IT - Home IT

Using Google to research a news story is easy on your iPhone. Which is why one lawyer wants jurors to stop doing it.

We've all done it: used Google to find out more about someone in the news. Many of us will have done it from our mobile phone, meaning we can get a mixture of fact and fiction about pretty much anyone pretty much anywhere.

Unfortunately the anywhere seems to include hotel room where jury members stay during a case, or even in the courtroom itself.

Of course, such activity is not only frowned upon but in most courts the presiding judge will specifically warn jurors not to discuss any aspect of the case they are hearing, with anyone outside of the jury.

Furthermore, the will be instructed not to consult outside sources such as newspapers or television news as media reporting could sway their opinion. Jurors who ignore such instructions do so at the peril of being in contempt of court and facing fines or even prison time as a result.

But according to reports these warnings are being routinely ignored courtesy of mobile devices such as the iPhone and easy searching via Google.

Things have now come to a head during the jury selection process for the trial concerning a lawsuit against Entercom Communications which owns the KDND-FM radio station in Sacramento, US.

A couple of years back, KDND-FM held an on-air competition which involved drinking as much water as possible without going for a pee. It became known as the 'hold your wee for a wii' contest,
courtesy of the prize on offer. It also saw the death of contestant Jennifer Strange who died after taking part.

So why the call for a Google ban now, and is the Internet really bad for justice? More on page 2...

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