A Google (NSDQ: GOOG) algorithm has managed to get a Dutch community news site successfully sued. Klup.nl, a network of user-edited news portals, was sued by a local BMW dealer, Zwartepoorte, because a Google search for Zwartepoorte + bankrupt returned a result for Klup.nl with this summary: “Full name: Zwartepoorte. Specialty: BMW … This company has gone bankrupt.”

In fact, no-one at Klup.nl had ever written a story about Zwartepoorte going under - Google’s algorithm had joined together two unrelated sentences from the site for its index abstract. Klup.nl owner Miljoenhuizen.nl told De Telegraaf (via 24 Oranges): “If the search result were to imply or insinuate that Zwartepoorte has gone bust, it would be Google’s responsibility, not ours.” But the site was ordered to fix its own site in such a way that Google couldn’t make the same mistake again - failure to comply would mean a €500-a-day fine. Der Telegraaf, via Reg.