South Korean Police Raid Google Korea

[frontpage]

Police raid Google Korea on suspicion of communication law violation

SEOUL, Aug. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's police said Tuesday its investigators raided the office of Google Korea in Seoul on suspicion that the local unit of Google Inc., operator of the world's largest Web search service, has illegally collected individuals' personal information for its map service.

The National Police Agency (NPA) said that its cyber crime investigation team was looking into allegations that Google Korea has violated the communications and privacy law in making Street View, a Google map service that features a panoramic view of streets.

A group of NPA investigators stormed into the office of Google Korea in southern Seoul earlier Tuesday and seized hard drives and related documents, the agency said.

After completing an analysis of the confiscated items, the police plan to summon company officials for investigation, it said.

[english.yonhapnews.co.kr...]

I wonder when Google exec's will finally get the idea that citizens and governments don't like the espionage?

[Maurice]

hmm Googls pissed one of the Chaebols then :-)

[geekie]

Bravo SK. Now if the US would just grow a pair...

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

Public opinion may still be on their side but cases like this are mounting up against them and as people (and governments) become more savvy to what is going on there will be much more of this.

[StoutFiles]

Bravo SK. Now if the US would just grow a pair...

We already know they harvested information, its just that we have no guidelines on whether its legal to harvest data on open wireless. Google can't be punished here, but that #*$! won't fly in other countries.

[BillyS]

I love how they write this stuff in the news...

A group of NPA investigators stormed into the office of Google Korea in southern Seoul earlier Tuesday and seized hard drives and related documents, the agency said.

Was there a shot out over the hard drives? I heard they played rock, paper, scissors - winner take all.

It's like they're capturing terrorists. I wonder if they broke the door down.

[jecasc]

A group of NPA investigators stormed

Which in South Korea probably means they came in to the front door, bowed, asked to be shown to the documents, where shown the documents, bowed again, said thank you, went out again.

[cien]

US government should do the same. Google thinks they can shoot first and then ask questions.

[StoutFiles]

It's like they're capturing terrorists. I wonder if they broke the door down.

Google Korea must have been showing off a new iPhone prototype!

[J_RaD]

goog already has enough insiders with the GOV to avoid any such thing from happening.

[BillyS]

Which in South Korea probably means they came in to the front door, bowed, asked to be shown to the documents, where shown the documents, bowed again, said thank you, went out again.

LOL! You're probably right.

[LifeinAsia]

Which in South Korea probably means they came in to the front door, bowed, asked to be shown to the documents, where shown the documents, bowed again, said thank you, went out again.

After the first bow, they also exchanged business cards.

[frontpage]

More to the story:

1) "(The police) have been investigating Google Korea LLC on suspicion of unauthorized collection and storage of data on unspecified Internet users from Wi-Fi networks," the Korean National Police Agency said in a statement.

2) "Investigators from the Cyber Terro Center of the NPA searched the Google Korea's office in southern Seoul till 17:00 local time, and confiscated hard drives and related paper documents from the office, the NPA said."

3) Google Korea later admitted it had collected some personal information but said it had not been used.

"Google has inadvertently collected some individuals' personal information in the process of Street View production in Korea and other countries. But Google suspended the production after learning of the information collection," a senior executive at Google Korea was quoted as saying by Yonhap.

"The collected personal information has never been illicitly used."

4) "Sixteen investigators dispatched to Google Korea headquarters in Yeoksam, southern Seoul, yesterday morning confiscated computer hard disks and documents. The search ended at 5 p.m. "

[cien]

Google's algo. will appear for sale in China soon.

[np2003]

Google's algo. will appear for sale in China soon.

Highly doubt, Google would not let it's highly prized SE codes in some foreign office. They would have it locked down and the code would be fragmented so that no one would be able to compile it unless they were at Google HQ, in a locked down room. (imo)

I personally think this is a good move. It scares Google just that extra bit so they don't try to push the boundaries next time. Imagine if governments just let this pass? Google would get more and more brave, to the point where they know more about us, than we do about ourselves.

[Sylver]

... to the point where they know more about us, than we do about ourselves.

In some regards, they already do, and not with this "street view" thing, which is a red herring.

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

Good for SK, if they suspect what the rest of the world seems to already know but ignore they have every right to search.

Problem is, what with Google having access to satellites and such, that you KNOW Google is in tight with FBI/CIA type government agencies and an entire arm of the military. When in a foreign country you don't store databases full of personal information locally.

They'll find nothing. Someone should clue SK in that Google is king of adding/storing content from many sources on the fly.

[piatkow]

When in a foreign country you don't store databases full of personal information locally.

But then exporting personal data is an offence in many countries.

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

Google Korea later admitted it had collected some personal information but said it had not been used.

My concern with Google lately is that we do not know what data they hold on us and they ain't gonna tell us until they get caught.

Can't we use the Data Protection Act here in the UK?
[en.wikipedia.org...]

[piatkow]

Can't we use the Data Protection Act here in the UK?

I thought that the Information Commissioner was investigating.

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

But then exporting personal data is an offence in many countries.

only if you get caught, the military does it all the time on secure networks.