Premium
The National Council for Combating Discrimination (CNCD) has decided on Wednesday to fine the company Google Romania with 10.000 RON, after, in May, the tag on Google Maps for the location of the People's Salvation Cathedral (Catedrala Mantuirii Neamului) was changed into "Romanian People's Swindling Cathedral" (Catedrala Prostirii Neamului Romanesc).
According to Cristian Jura, member of the College of the Council, which started proceedings ex officio in this case, the fine against the company is for discrimination and for inaction.
"We fined the company Google Romania firstly for inaction, even though they knew what happened, they didn't inform at all," said Jura for AGERPRES.
Thus, he showed, the company was fined "for infringement brought to the dignity of religious groups in general and in the present case offended Orthodox believers in Romania, especially because they're 80 pct of Romania's population, or maybe even a greater percentage was affected by this tag change".
Furthermore, he said that the representatives of Google Romania were previously at hearings at the CNCD in this case and "explained that they are not responsible for changing tags on Google Maps".
Thus, according to the representative of the CNCD, they said that responsibility belonged to Google Ireland. Jura stated that Google Ireland was subpoenaed in this sense.
The President of the CNCD, Asztalos Csaba, stated that the case, of changing tags, "is a form of discrimination, of humiliation".
