Google says it suspended an email alerting system in New Zealand after it breached a murder case suppression order, which prompted condemnation from Wellington.

Key points: A Google trending alert reveals a country's most searched terms via email

A Google trending alert reveals a country's most searched terms via email This week it revealed the name of a suspect subject to a suppression order

This week it revealed the name of a suspect subject to a suppression order Google wrote a letter to the NZ Justice Minister expressing respect for local laws

The suspension of the service comes as the tech giant and its peers, such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as governments around the world wrestle with the question of responsibility for the content published on a select number of sites.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressed disappointment about Google's failure to abide by a court order suppressing the name of a man accused of killing 22-year-old British backpacker Grace Millane.

The company also made the same breach in the days after news of Ms Millane's death was reported in December 2018.

The murder last year shocked New Zealand, where serious crimes are relatively rare.

Ms Millane, who had been travelling in the country after finishing university, was found in a bush area just a few metres from a scenic drive in Auckland's Waitakere Ranges.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 1 minute 1 m Jacinda Ardern apologised to Ms Millane's family on behalf of New Zealand.

The accused's name had been suppressed by a court but it appeared in Google Trends emails listing top search terms in New Zealand.

"We understand the sensitivity around this issue and we have suspended Google Trends emails about searches trending in New Zealand," a Google spokesperson said.

The company had earlier written to New Zealand Justice Minister Andrew Little advising him of the decision, after the Minister urged the company not to be "evil" and to "do the right thing" to prevent more breaches.

"Don't be evil" was a company motto.

The company said it respected New Zealand law and understood the sensitivity of the issue.

"This … provides even further assurance against any recurrence," Ross Young, Google's government affairs and public policy manager, said in the letter to Mr Little, whose office released the letter.

Ms Millane pictured two days before her death in 2018. ( Facebook: Grace Millane )

Reuters