Filed in U.S. District Court for Southern Mississippi, the lawsuit claims that for 18 months, Mr. Hood has threatened to prosecute Google if the company doesn’t block certain content on its websites. Google says that when it didn't agree to Mr. Hood’s demands, the attorney general filed “an enormously burdensome subpoena” in late October seeking information about Internet activity related to illegal drugs, human trafficking and copyrighted content, among other subjects.
Google says the subpoena is unconstitutional because it seeks information about activities protected by the First Amendment and other federal laws.
In a statement, Mr. Hood said he and other attorneys general want Google to restrict searches for illegal drugs and pirated content. “Feeling emboldened with its billions of dollars, media prowess and political power,” Mr. Hood said, Google is “trying to stop the state of Mississippi for daring to ask some questions.”
