The Sao Paulo prosecutor's office is alleging that Orkut has been used for criminal activity and is seeking permission from a judge to file a civil suit against Google.

The Brazilian prosecutors are alleging that Google is withholding user information required for a separate criminal investigation - and they want Google to pay a $61 million fine, reports Reuters. Moreover, if Google doesn't comply, they want its unit in Brazil to be dissolved. Prosecutors say Google's Orkut social network site has been used to organize criminal activity and promote child pornography.

A Google spokeswoman told Reuters that the company had been cooperating with Brazilian authorities, and Google's unit in Brazil has itself petitioned a judge to name an independent expert to determine whether it has withheld user information.

Google's unit is arguing that Orkut pages are housed on U.S. servers and so it does not possess all the info being sought by Brazilian authorities. Some 72 percent of Orkut's 16 million users are in Brazil.