John Barilaro: Google Fined $715,000 for Defamatory YouTube Video

• Google has been ordered to pay former New South Wales deputy premier, John Barilaro, $715,000.

• The fine was issued due to a series of “abusive” videos published on Friendlyjordies YouTube channel.

• Barilaro sued Google, the owner of YouTube, over videos published by Friendlyjordies in 2020.

An Australian court has ordered Google to pay a former lawmaker, John Barilaro $715,000 for putting out an abusive video about the politician on YouTube.

The court described the video as relentless, racist, abusive, and defamatory. It also found that the tech giant intentionally made money by not removing the videos attacking the then-deputy premier of New South Wales.

The video was posted by Jordan Shanks in 2020 and gathered more than 800,000 views between then and now.

Barilaro sued Google, the owner of YouTube, and Shanks over the videos titled “bruz” and “Secret Dictatorship”. The former MP settled his federal court case against Shanks in November 2021 after Shanks provided an apology and edited the videos.

However, Shanks continued to post on YouTube about Barilaro, including videos containing “slurs”. The videos, and Google’s decision to not delete them, amounted to what the judge called “improper pressure” on Barilaro during the case.

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The judge, Steve Rares labeled the actions of Shanks hate speech and added that Google breached its own policies aimed at protecting public figures from being bullied.

The online harassment drove Barilaro to quit politics last year and the former deputy premier of New South Wales claims that he even contemplated suicide.

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