Google has 21 days to hand over any information it has on whoever was behind an online scam which used Micheál Martin’s name and image.

Last Tuesday, the Tánaiste sent his lawyers to the High Court to apply for an order compelling Google to hand over the information.

Today, the High Court granted him an order, directing Google to hand over names, email addresses and phone numbers linked to accounts associated with the ads.

The ads falsely suggested Minister Martin was making a fortune by trading on a cryptocurrency financial product and have since been taken down.

To the extent such information exists, the tech giant must also provide details of accounts used to pay for the ads to be published on Google, as well as IP addresses from which the accounts were accessed.

The order was made without objection from Google.

Accountability

In a statement, the Tánaiste welcomed the granting of the order and said he took the action to ensure these anonymous third parties will be held to account.

Minister Martin also said he believed there is a significant onus on large tech companies, including Google, to do all they can to ensure their platforms and products are not weaponised by bad actors and scammers.

Main image: Micheál Martin.