South Korean police launched another raid at the global internet gain company, Google on Tuesday. The local offices of the company were subjected to an investigation launched by the cyber crime wing of the police department; they were in search of any evidence in favor of the allegations regarding Google using its mobile phone advertising platform, ‘AdMob’ to secretly collect private data of its customers illegally.
Image via CrunchBase The police searched the office of Google located in Seoul, and confiscated several hard drives and along with other computer data, which it considered helpful in the investigation. According to the spokesperson of the crime unit in the police department, he informed AFP, that all the confiscated material is directly related to its questioned "AdMob" platform only, and no further damage was done during the raid.
He mentioned that "The raid followed allegations that Google's mobile advertising agency, AdMob, had illegally collected private data." No words from the authorities of Google were received to make any statement on this matter.
Even previously, back in January the police examined the way Google practices its personal data collecting, this was the time when a large-sscale investigation was launched on the legality of Google’s method of producing the Street View mapping service. The service in turn allowed its users to be able to observe the panoramic street scenes on the famous Google Maps site.
At that time, the investigation led for Google to confess that its data logging cars which record data for Street View, have actually been travel on unauthorized areas. Not only was it discovered that these cars were detouring, the controversy of the matter was, that these cars constantly took pictures of the cities areas in over a total of 30 countries. Hence, huge concerns were raised worldwide, but the global internet giant asserted that it had only gathered parts of the sensitive personal data unintentionally, from unsecured WiFi systems. Google was very firm in their stance, and has still only reported that it has not done, and is not doing, anything illegal in South Korea at all, whereas the state prosecutors still have to press charges in that case.
This latest raid, had taken place almost just a week after the telecom regulation authority of South Korea commenced a complete examination of whether or not the method of Apple, another internet giant of US, collects data from its iPhone and iPad users, safely. The sensitivity of case is to prove that either of the company has ever violated any privacy rules of the nation, or took part in any illegal activity.
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