Feed: Google criminally charged for illegally collecting private information - AggScore: 12.7

Google criminally charged for illegally collecting private information

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caption id alignalignleft width175 captionGoogle is being targeted in a number of countries for its alleged violation of privacy laws. Photo Googleimg srchttpcdn2b.examiner.comsitesdefaultfilesstyleslargehashc6c5c6c5af8c2cd67512a5f4f8e420cf309e.jpg alt width175 height40 captionSouth Korean copsfiled criminalcharges against Google Inc. for allegedly collecting information on private citizen therebybreaking Internet privacy laws South Korea, according to a press statement released by the Seoul Police Department.Googles Seoulofficehad beenraided bypolice in August 2010on suspicion ofillegally collecting personal information in preparing the local version of its Street View mapping services.According to the police officials, Google usedvehicles equipped with special video recorders for taping streets and landscapes throughoutSouth Koreabetween October 2009 and May 2010.Police suspectedthat these video recorders and other equipmentgathered private data about Korean citizens.The Cyber Terror Response Center, the Internetinvestigation unit at South Koreas National Police Agency, saidthatafter amonthslong investigation theydiscovered proofthat Googles mappingdivision illegally obtained and stored emails, instant messages, Internet siteidentification passwords,banking and credit dataand other personal informationof more than a halfmillionpeople in Seoul, Busan and Inchonas wellrural areas.According to police officials in a statement, Googles activities, while legal in many parts of the world, violatedSouthKoreas laws regardinginformation and communication, Internet privacy, and protection of privatelocation information.The policeofficersconfiscated more than 200 hard drives and verified the information of hundreds of thousands of people, while investigating about 10Google corporate executives, according tothe National Police Agency report obtained by the USs National Association of Chiefs of Police.In response to police allegations, Google executives in South Koreaadmittedthe companycollected individualsprivate information.However, they claimed it was unintentional and Googlestopped collecting all WiFi data as soon as they became aware of the problem.Google also claimedthe collected informationwas never misused or abused by the Internet giant.Google officialsannounced thatthey have been cooperating with the Korean Communications Commission and the policethroughout the intricate investigationand will work tocorrect any abuses discovered during that investigation.Googlehas been providing Street View service, which allows users to view panoramic street scenes on its digital photomaps, in several countries such as the United States, Germany, Australia and Canada, and it has also beenaccused ofsimilar charges in thosecountries.