MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – Google employees no longer are prohibited from suing if they encounter porn on the job.
The search giant reversed a longstanding policy after a group of current and former employees quietly filed a lawsuit in December, alleging — among other things — the company violated labor laws by requiring workers to waive rights as a condition of employment. Specifically, Google staff was required to sign a statement agreeing not to sue the company if they happened across porn in the workplace.
On Thursday, Google notified employees the policy had been rescinded, adding that workers should “bring to Google’s attention right away any graphic or disturbing material that causes concern or distress.”
According to technology industry trade journal The Information [subscription required], Google’s previous policy was intended to cover a small of group of employees whose job it is to perform human filtering of pornographic content in its search engine, AdWords and other products. The lawsuit characterized the policy as too broad, because it covered everyone employed by the company whether or not their position required engaging with adult material.
Chris Baker, who represents the suing Google employees, told The Information the waiver was so clumsily drafted that it would’ve prevented employees from filing legitimate claims of sexual harassment.
Google has not said how it will handle the situation going forward. Presumably the company will need to install a new policy covering only the staff involved in filtering.
