SYDNEY—Australia’s highest court overturned on Wednesday a ruling that had found Google engaged in defamation by supplying a link to a contested newspaper article, throwing the spotlight again on how online libel cases are handled in the country.
The seven-judge panel of the High Court of Australia voted 5-2 to throw out an earlier finding that the Alphabet Inc. unit played a part in publishing the disputed article by acting as a “library” housing it, saying the website had no active role.
The decision brings fresh confusion to a question that has been simmering in Australia for years about where liability rests for online defamation. A years-long review of the country’s libel law is yet to give a final recommendation on whether large platforms like Google and Meta Platforms’ Facebook should be accountable….